We lost a friend today, but California lost one of the last Great Statesman of our time. As a friend, he was loyal and always had an encouraging word, no matter how bleak life seemed; as a Senator, he was a fierce defender of our freedoms and the first principles that made this country so exceptional.

Because he took a stand for the ordinary hardworking people of his district and his state, the political establishment both respected and feared him. When I first met him, we were having lunch. After he prayed-and no, he didn’t ask anyone’s permission-he said, I “didn’t go to Sacramento to make friends, my friends are here in the district; I went to Sacramento to kick over tables.”

In spite of the tough stances he took on issues, everyone who knew him, knew that Dick was an absolute gentleman, a man of impeccable integrity, and one of the nicest men you’d ever hope to meet. He was truly one in a million, and he will be greatly missed. As my wife, Rowena stated, Heaven has a new Patriot, and he’ll probably be President of the Senate up there before you know it.

Godspeed Dick!