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Thank you, West Virginia, for your continued support and confidence in me. Once again, you have put your faith in my ability to fight for you, and I am humbled and grateful to have six more years to fight for you. I promise you this: I will always stand up for West Virginia and America.

After many long months, now the election is over. It’s time to put politics aside and come together as Americans and work together for a brighter future for all our people. Everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: the people want an end to the political divisiveness and petty bickering that is hurting our country. And they’re absolutely right.

The time has come to put our country first, to put an end to the political games and to seize the opportunity we have. We face the same challenges today that we faced yesterday, but the difference is that now we can face them together – not as Democrats or Republicans or Independents, but as Americans. We need to remember who we are – the greatest nation on the earth and the hope of the world.

I truly believe America’s greatest days are still ahead of us. But to get there, we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and work side by side to rebuild this great country, leaving it in better shape for the next generation, just like our parents and grandparents before us.

We’ve got to create good paying jobs for hard working families. We need an all-of-the-above energy policy to end our dependence on foreign oil. We have to take care of our seniors, children and veterans. We’ve got to repair our aging infrastructure. And we’ve got to bring our troops home.

But at the top of our To-Do list is to getting our fiscal house in order. We can’t continue spending $1 trillion more every year than we take in. And we can’t rebuild America with a $16 trillion plus debt hanging over our heads. We’ve got to get government spending control in a way that expands our economy, and we’ve got to do it before the “fiscal cliff” drives the economy back into another recession.

I am going back to Washington more determined than ever to tackle these problems and more committed than ever to bringing people together – Democrats and Republicans, business and labor, liberals and conservatives – to do what’s best for our country and our state.

In West Virginia, we overcome major obstacles by setting aside politics. In West Virginia, we’re interested in results, not blame. In West Virginia, we find common ground to reach commonsense solutions. And that’s why I have encouraged President Obama to visit our great state and to see firsthand how we get the job done. We may have some differences, but I have committed to the President that I will do everything in my power to help him rebuild America.

I came to the United States Senate two years ago to complete the term of our beloved Senator Robert C. Byrd. I said then – and I say again now – no one could ever hope to fill Senator Byrd’s shoes. I will always walk in his great footsteps, though.

So, as I begin a full six-year term in the Senate, I make this pledge: I will always fight for West Virginia. I will always stand up for the people of our state. And I will always act to earn your faith and confidence in me.