Dear Family and Friends:

I want to personally thank each of you for your support over the last 8 months. On behalf of the entire Peper family, you have our gratitude and most humble appreciation.

We are obviously exhausted both physically and mentally, but look forward to the opportunity to stand up for you and voice your opinion on limited government, controlled spending, and increased accountability over the next several years. My father always told me, "when you're through improving, you're through". Needless to say, we're not through improving, and with your continued help and support, we pledge to keep fighting for you.

The full results of the election can be found at www.scvotes.org. At this site, you'll find detailed information and have the ability to find out who your representative for various offices will be. I encourage each of you to make a note of these office holders, and hold them accountable throughout their tenure.

With regards to our race, we lost by a total of 970 votes...a tough pill to swallow indeed. As expected, the absentee ballots cast were simply too much to compete with. We received votes from only 1,384 of the 3,681 absentee ballots cast which clearly put our opponent over the top. Late into the night and even into the day following, we had the lead and appeared to have won. Unfortunately, we simply could not overcome the record turn out from the absentee voters. Of those who voted for our opponent, 76% of them voted straight ticket democrat. With regards to the ballots cast on the actual day of the election, we won a majority of the precincts, including the precinct where she resides as well as our own. Clearly, the informed voters of District 7 supported our campaign and understood the importance of reflective representation and community ties.

So the lessons learned from our campaign are numerous; without a doubt, the three most important entities that are needed to win are volunteers, donations, and prayers. I have no doubt that we outnumbered our opponent in the latter category, but we were clearly outnumbered in the first two. Please remember that each of you can make a difference in the every election by offering your support both personally and financially in the years to come. With your help, we can make this county a better place to live, work, and worship.

In closing, thank you for everything and please do not hesitate to contact me personally if I can ever be of assistance. Emily joins me in saying "thanks", and may God continue to bless you and yours.

Mark