CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican lieutenant governor who was resoundingly defeated by Democrat Abigail Spanberger in a gubernatorial bid earlier this month, posted a Thanksgiving thank you letter to her supporters on Wednesday.

“I am grateful to so many of you who sent in $3 and more to help my gubernatorial campaign move forward,” Earle-Sears wrote in the post on her campaign website. “I am grateful to so many of you who knocked on doors, who made telephone calls, who wrote postcards, who sent letters to the editor, who defended what we stood for: lower taxes, safety and security in ensuring our law-enforcement and Department of corrections personnel would be honored, life, the pursuit of happiness, job creation, a good education for our children so that they will thrive and have a hope, and a future, and so much more.”

Spanberger defeated Earle-Sears by more than 15%, 57.6-42.2% as both women were bidding to become Virginia’s first female governor. Locally, Earle-Sears’ deficit was even greater. Spanberger won Albemarle County 70.4-29.5% and Charlottesville 88.9-10.9. It was part of a dominant Election Day for Democrats across the Commonwealth.

Sen. Ghazala Hashmi was elected lieutenant governor and Jay Jones – despite the October revelation of violent text messages he wrote about political rival and his family, won the race for attorney general. Democrats also picked up 13 more seats in the House of Delegates.

“I am especially grateful to those of you who were insulted, because of your support for me,” Earle-Sears wrote. “I may not ever meet you, but do know that I’m aware you took slings and arrows all because of your support for me.”

It is unclear if Earle-Sears intends to remain in politics going forward, but in her letter, she encouraged her supporters to continue their work and indicated she would do the same.

“I am not leaving the battlefield,” she wrote. “As a U.S. Marine, we are trained that forward is the only way. But, then, isn’t that the American way? Of course. So that means you are not leaving the battlefield either. Whatever, wherever and however your battlefield is, you will continue, you must continue as we seek to preserve America for the next generation—for our children and our children’s children.”