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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Sparks, but no fire

Principal runs for state representative to give teachers a voice

Linton Mayor John Wilkes comforts Sparks in the final moments of the campaign. Twenty-six miuntes later, the race for the next House Representative for Distrcit 62 was called for Sparks' opponent, Matt Ubelhor. The final vote tally was 41 percent Sparks and 55 percent Ublehor. The margin of defeat was greater this campaign than Sparks' previous challenge to Ubelhor two years earlier in the 2012 election.

Election Day is cold and rainy.

The sky goes from overcast to drizzling to full pouring rain in Greene County as the last voters leave the polls.

At the Linton, Ind., headquarters of District 62 statehouse candidate Jeff Sparks , supporters and family have gathered to wait for the election results. Campaign treasurer Terri Neighbors  checks news sites for vote tallies on a ? borrowed laptop.

Polls closed more than three hours ago    and Sparks is restless, picking up empty soda bottles and cups and crossing the room to throw them out.  He pulls at his neck while a volunteer speculates about votes in Monroe County.

No update yet.

His phone rings.

Sparks answers to greet his campaign manager  — “Hello, Jon” — and disappears around the corner into a dim storage room. He stands and listens, his reply inaudible over volunteers’ chatter.  His back is to them, his profile just visible over his shoulder as he turns his head ? toward the phone.

He hangs up and walks back into the ? brightly lit room.

“Well, that’s it.”

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