Friends, today I'm announcing my intention to run for Governor of Delaware in 2008.

Many of you have encouraged me to seek this office – and for several months, Carla and I have carefully considered this decision and we appreciate your support.

We're excited about the campaign because we love Delaware – and we want it to be the same place of opportunity for our kids and their generation as it has been for us.

And that bright future is certainly possible, but it's not assured.

I was born here in Delaware and I grew up just off Kirkwood Highway in Newark. I've seen how much our state has changed over the last 4 decades.

And some major employers of my childhood – Dupont, General Motors, Chrysler, Hercules and NVF – have downsized or moved away

And these days, many middle class families are feeling squeezed.

More than one hundred thousand people in Delaware, including 20,000 children, have no health insurance. Even more are struggling to keep up with rising insurance costs.

Our graduation rate ranks about 40th in the country, and half of our African-American and Hispanic kids drop out of high school.

Our state ranks dead last in creating new businesses.

I'm not satisfied with any of that – and I bet you're not either.

We can do better.

Unfortunately, we have a President in Washington who's made things even worse.

George W. Bush came to Washington saying the government can't do anything right, and he has tried his hardest to prove exactly that.

Well, I couldn't disagree more with George Bush's approach.

I believe that government should be doing more with the resources it has to improve the lives of the people in our state.

That's what I've attempted to do as your State Treasurer for the past nine years.

We modernized the Treasurer's office, but we didn't stop there.

We started classes that have helped more than 20,000 people in Delaware learn basic financial literacy skills, so they can have more control of their own lives.

We found a way to save taxpayers more than thirty million dollars by making government more efficient.

And we started a nationally-recognized initiative to help state employees become healthier and reduce the cost of their own healthcare.

Yet, we can do so much more. I still see so many things that need to be fixed – and I won't be satisfied until they are.

Our next Governor needs to do more to relieve the burdens of middle-class families.

It starts with having the vision and know-how to attract the good high-paying jobs that keep our economy vibrant.

We need to improve health care for every family in our state.

On education, we need to support our teachers and improve the quality of our schools.

On the environment, we need to reduce sprawl and promote clean energy.

And we absolutely must be a leader in ensuring civil rights for all our citizens. Delaware is small enough to be a state of neighbors and large enough to welcome newcomers. Everybody in Delaware – African American, white, Hispanic, Asian, gay or straight – should know that I promise to protect your civil rights and expand your opportunities.

I am running to be our state's next Governor because I recognize the need for strong Democratic solutions to the challenges we face, and I believe that together we can make great strides toward a brighter, bolder Delaware.

I intend to run an energetic campaign, reaching out to voters in every corner of the state, talking about my plans to make Delaware an even greater state.

Leadership must be earned by each generation, and it's the strength of our Democratic party that we encourage this kind of debate. It sharpens our ideas and it strengthens our resolve.

Together, we can make Delaware America's First State again. We need to raise our expectations. We need to demand more of ourselves. We can and we must do better.

The issue in this campaign is whether we are going to continue along the path that we've been following, or whether we are going to take bold steps toward a stronger, healthier Delaware. I, for one, will aim high, and I hope that you will join me.