Sparks finishes fifth in primary election
In an unsuccessful primary race, Sparks was overshadowed by Republican opponent Greg Raths and Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter
Lisa Sparks, the dean of the School of Communication and Republican candidate for California’s 45th district, finished fifth in the Super Tuesday primary election. Panther Archives
In a disappointing showing for her congressional campaign for California’s 45th district, Lisa Sparks, the Dean of the School of Communication and Republican candidate, was on pace to receive less than 5 percent of the vote. Sparks’ opponent Greg Raths, mayor of Mission Viejo, led the Republican candidates with 19 percent of the vote and will most likely face off Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter in the general election come November. Sparks did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Sparks – who came in fifth out of seven candidates – received 6,900 votes, roughly 12,000 votes behind fourth place candidate Peggy Huang. Republican frontrunner Raths received 31,143 votes. Katie Porter, a current Congresswoman and Democratic candidate, won 49 percent of the vote with a tally of 83,916.
Though Sparks “took a leave” as dean at the end of the fall 2019 semester to focus on her campaign, according to a Dec. 12 email sent by Chapman’s provost, Glenn Pfeiffer, she did not officially resign from her position. Since Jan. 1, Professor Jennifer Waldeck has served as acting dean. Whether or not Sparks will return to her post at Chapman is “a conversation” to be had, according to a Feb. 6 interview with Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
President Daniele Struppa, Sparks’ husband, declined to comment on the 45th district race, saying his position in relation to the election was “spousal” and that Chapman will “work with whomever the voters choose to support.”
All candidates appeared on the same ballot, meaning constituents could vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates with the highest amount of votes in the primary will face off in the general election.
Sparks’ campaign focused predominantly on local and national security, lowering taxes and improving access to healthcare and education, according to her campaign website. She was predominantly focused on flipping the 45th district, frequently using the hashtag #TakeBackOrangeCounty on her official campaign Twitter account.
The 45th district spans Irvine, Tustin, Orange, Villa Park, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita and parts of Anaheim, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel. Sparks lived in Irvine, but moved to Newport Beach over two years ago after Struppa was gifted a house for his family to live in during his tenure, according to the OC Register. Newport Beach is located in California’s 48th congressional district. It is legal for federal office holders to live outside of their district as only state and local candidates must run in their home district.
Sparks received $10,876 in campaign donations from Chapman affiliates, making her the top recipient of donations from individuals connected to Chapman in the 2020 election cycle, according to Open Secrets. Her opponent, Katie Porter, received $3,479 from Chapman affiliates.
A schism between supporters and opposers became a feature on Sparks’ Twitter. Supporters left messages of support on her platform, while others took to the comment section to express their concerns.
“Californians are unhappy as many of our rights and freedoms are being stripped away. We’re overtaxed and over legislated. #VoteDemsOut...I want off of this Socialist sinking ship,” one user commented in response to Sparks’ Jan. 30 tweet calling for new state leadership.
Other people in Sparks’ Twitter comments were not as quick to share their support. In response to a Feb. 25 tweet promoting Sparks’ campaign website, one user commented, “do u have a single platform besides ‘I’m conservative’ and ‘let’s bring back racism.’”
Sparks did not respond to either comment and has yet to comment about the results of Super Tuesday.