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Thursday, August 24, 2006 NAT: Notch Another Victory For The Native Candidates
Cherokee man latest to win, now advances to general election
Sam Lewin 8/24/2006
Call it a sweep for the Indian candidates as a member of the Cherokee Nation wins by only 76 votes a run-off contest to advance to this fall’s general election.
John Sparks tallied 3,172 votes to fellow Democrat Tim Emrich’s 3,096 in the August 22 race. Sparks will now face Republican Ron Davis in November to fill Senate District 16, a position recently vacated by longtime legislator Cal Hobson.
Sparks’ win is a turnaround from the June primary, which saw Emrich receive 2,432 votes to Sparks’ 2,332.
Tensions between Sparks and Emrich were heightened in recent weeks with Emrich charging that his opponent was running a “smear campaign.” Sparks, an attorney in Norman, responded that Emrich started slinging the mud when he accused Sparks of being a “pawn” for the insurance industry.
Sparks, 37, raised the most money during the election, swelling his campaign coffers to $216,981.
Sparks, a married father of two, is a graduate of Sulpher High School and the University of Oklahoma. His interests in college involved the American Indian Law Review, according to his campaign website. Political issues he is concerned with include increasing the minimum wage, improving public schools and streamlining state services.
Sparks’ candidacy was pushed by INDN’s List, a group dedicated to electing Native American Democrats to public office.
“Our success is in our candidates and their vision. They are proving that voters recognize and affirm the bold, positive vision that Indian candidates and the Democratic Party have put forward in states across the nation,” said INDN’s List founder and president Kalyn Free. Read more...
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Posted at 8/24/2006 12:59:00 PM
 
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