Democratic incumbent Sharon Quirk-Silva declared victory on Wednesday, Nov. 4 over GOP challenger Cynthia Thacker in the 65th Assembly District.
“I am honored to have been given the opportunity to serve the 65th District for a fourth term,” she said in a text message. “Although I have won, I also wholeheartedly serve all who live my district, no matter what party that my constitutes are.
“I truly believe there are basic issues that we can all strive to focus on: safe neighborhoods, great schools, protecting our businesses and workers.”
Quirk Silva, D-Fullerton, was strongly favored to hold the seat. Voter registration in the north county district is solidly Democrat and Thacker, a GOP activist, hasn’t used conventional political strategies, such as fundraising, to promote her cause.
Thacker, a retired businesswoman from Buena Park, did have a respectable showing during the March 3 primary, when she was the only challenger on the ballot against Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton. Quirk-Silva received 57.7% of the vote to Thacker’s 42.3%, with nearly 15,000 votes separating them. But records show Republican turnout tends to be higher in primaries, possibly skewing those numbers favorably for Thacker from where they’ll land Nov. 3.
The pair are vying to represent a district that covers all or portions of Fullerton, Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, Stanton, Garden Grove and Anaheim. And while voter registration has favored Democrats for years, voters in the district have flipped between sending Republicans and Democrats to the state Assembly. In 2012, they elected Quick-Silva, but in 2014 they elected Republican Young Kim. In 2016 and ’18, they went back to Quirk-Silva.
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Like much of Orange County, the district has become more blue in recent years. Democrats now hold a 13.2% registration advantage over Republicans. And, in recent elections, the district has picked Democrats for president and governor.
Quirk-Silva, now serving her third non-consecutive term, grew up in Fullerton and spent 30 years as a teacher in the Fullerton School District. She entered politics in 2004, when she won a seat on the Fullerton City Council. Her husband still teaches math and her four children all attended local public schools.
In the Assembly, Quirk-Silva has championed bills related to government transparency, affordable housing, job development, foster kids, veterans and the homeless. This cycle, Quirk-Silva says she will boost funding and local control for school districts, push for more infrastructure development to ease traffic, and expand access to affordable healthcare.
Quirk-Silva had $355,093 in campaign cash heading into Election Day.
Thacker declined to participate in an interview about her background or her stances on various issues. But she’s spoken out against state restrictions to limit coronavirus spread, against studying reparations for Black Californians and in favor of President Donald Trump in recent press releases from her campaign.
“The enthusiasm and momentum are with President Trump and the Republican Party,” Thacker said in a release. “When Trump supporters vote to re-elect the president, they are going to keep voting Republican.”