"Between you and me"

April 26 2019 (12:10 WEST)

I must admit that when you don't have many resources, you have to be original in your campaigns, but I never imagined that "Two islands, one path" would be so exciting, so enriching, and so intense for me as it has finally been. And the fact is that whatever the outcome of the elections next Sunday, what I have experienced these seven days will always be with me.

I cannot quantify what this simple campaign has given me from minute one, what the people of Lanzarote and La Graciosa have given me with total generosity, with the calmness and affection of those who ask for nothing in return and without, in some cases, even being aware of it.

I would be lying if I said that I haven't had fun reaching every corner of the two islands. How could I not when, despite the fatigue, the hours of sun, the hours of wind, even rain, I have felt like a child again with a naked soul!.

On this walking trip, I have rediscovered our roots, the great people we were and are. People of immense generosity, with eyes full of experiences and cracked hands. Also, looks and words from those who awaken to life with all their energy and are ready to take on the world. Looks with a past, present, and eager for the future.

They are truly the reason for this trip to the heart of Lanzarote and the center of the work I have done and want to continue developing in the Senate if they revalidate their trust in me.

This week I have been able to verify once again the great people we were, people of their word, who looked to the future with optimism, with hope and with expectation, even though they were times of not a few hardships.

There has been space for improvised and endearing chats with that generation of men and women who have told me about their efforts in the field, at sea, or how they managed to raise their families. Also with young people who did not know the harshness of that Lanzarote but who love and live the island with the same intensity and demand a land that offers them the opportunities they crave. Big and small stories that make me feel indebted to them all... and this campaign has been about that.

I thought I knew the island, but I would dare to say that I have learned more about Lanzarote and La Graciosa in these 278 km of walking than in my 32 years of life. Therefore, regardless of the election result, I feel that I have already won. I have won by knowing unknown corners for me until now, winner by being part of the resilience of the people of these islands, winner for not throwing in the towel and culminating this campaign full of experiences and renewed hopes.

But I don't want all of this to stay only in my retina and in my memory. I want to continue sharing Lanzarote and La Graciosa in the speaker's platform of the Senate so that they continue to know us, so that they understand what we have been able to do, what we are doing and everything we have left to achieve.

I have said it many times, I am not the smartest candidate nor the most experienced, but I think I have given ample evidence that I am a fighter and that I am one of those who fight to the end. In that I assure you that I will be the best, whoever governs.

In these last two years I have learned that in the Senate whoever wants can, and in this time there have been many things that we have achieved, but more important still is what we have left to achieve. I want to fulfill my promise to the farmers, especially to the brave people of La Geria, to the sailors, to the artisanal salt workers... we owe it to them, I owe it to them.

I must also fulfill the improvement of the infrastructures dependent on Madrid such as the Port and the Airport. Much has been advanced, but we still have a long way to go; for example, we owe César much more than the name of the airport, we owe him the recovery of his original design for the terminal. I owe it to him.

Because I owe it to the people of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, I want to pay my debt and that they continue to have a senator who cares and takes care, who is always on the phone, who is always there. In short, who is at your service. Let me pay my debt and give back to our two islands everything they have given me.

By Joel Delgado, candidate for the Senate for the Popular Party

Most read