If there is anyone out there who still doubts

that America is a place where all things are possible,

who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time,

who still questions the power of our democracy,

tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches

in numbers this nation has never seen,

by people who waited three hours and four hours,

many for the first time in their lives,

because they believed that this time must be different,

that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old,

rich and poor,

Democrat and Republican,

black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight,

disabled and not disabled.

Americans who sent a message to the world

that we have never been just a collection of individuals

or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be,

the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those

who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical

and fearful and doubtful

about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history

and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight,

because of what we did on this date in this election

at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening,

I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.

Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign.

And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.

He has endured sacrifices for America

that most of us cannot begin to imagine.

We are better off for the service

rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him;

I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved.

And I look forward to working with them

to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey,

a man who campaigned from his heart,

and spoke for the men and women

he grew up with on the streets of Scranton...

and rode with on the train home to Delaware,

the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight

without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years...

the rock of our family,

the love of my life,

the nation's next first lady...Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia... I love you both

more than you can imagine.

And you have earned the new puppy

that's coming with us... to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us,

I know my grandmother's watching,

along with the family that made me who I am.

I miss them tonight.

I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma,

all my other brothers and sisters,

thank you so much for all the support that you've given me.

I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager,

David Plouffe...

the unsung hero of this campaign,

who built the best - the best political campaign,

I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod...

who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled

in the history of politics... you made this happen,

and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all,

I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to.

It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.

We didn't start with much money or many endorsements.

Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.

It began in the backyards of Des Moines

and the living rooms of Concord

and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women

who dug into what little savings

they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people

who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy...

who left their homes and their families

for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people

who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat

to knock on doors of perfect strangers,

and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized

and proved that more than two centuries later

a government of the people, by the people,

and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.