Don Sedgwick
Don Sedgwick (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 45th Congressional District. He lost in the primary on March 3, 2020.
Sedgwick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Sedgwick has served as the mayor of Laguna Hills. He served on the Saddleback Valley Unified School District for 18 years.[1]
Biography
Sedgwick's professional experience includes owning a jewlery business.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: California's 45th Congressional District election, 2020
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 45
Incumbent Katie Porter defeated Greg Raths in the general election for U.S. House California District 45 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Katie Porter (D) | 53.5 | 221,843 |
 | Greg Raths (R)  | 46.5 | 193,096 | |
| Total votes: 414,939 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 45
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 45 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Porter (D) | 50.8 | 112,986 |
| ✔ | | Greg Raths (R) | 17.9 | 39,942 |
 | Don Sedgwick (R) | 12.8 | 28,465 | |
 | Peggy Huang (R) | 11.1 | 24,780 | |
 | Lisa Sparks (R) | 4.0 | 8,861 | |
 | Christopher Gonzales (R) | 2.4 | 5,443 | |
 | Rhonda Furin (R) | 1.0 | 2,140 | |
| Total votes: 222,617 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Forde (D)
- Julie Proctor (R)
- Mimi Walters (R)
- Brenton Woolworth (R)
- Ray Gennawey (R)
- Aditya Pai (D)
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Don Sedgwick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sedgwick's responses.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Securing our borders--There is a border crisis that is making our communities less safe and less prosperous. I will fight to end the flood of illegal labor and cut off the drugs flowing in from our southern border. Taking care of our homeless veterans--As Congressman, I will ensure Washington is responsible for the homeless crisis by taking action to care for our veterans, helping the mentally ill and protecting our communities. Keep violent criminals behind bars--To combat rising crime, I know we must ensure violent criminals stay behind bars where they belong. But I also believe we must focus on stopping crime before it starts, by prioritizing after-school programs and high-tech vocational programs that are proven and effective at preventing our youth from entering a life a crime. Keep jobs in California--Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. As the only candidate for CA-45 who has actually created jobs as a small-business owner, I know how to cut red tape and help generate good-paying jobs for Orange County residents and keep companies from fleeing to friendlier states. No budget, no pay for Congress--Congress shouldn't be rewarded for failure. As your Representative, I will not take a paycheck if Congress does not pass a budget.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Sedgwick's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
ISSUES SECURING OUR NATION The core constitutional function of Government is to protect our nation. With a strong and engaged defense we can keep our country safe. Congress must prioritize defense spending to revive our military without ballooning the national debt. Our main focus should be funding technology development and modernization. I’ll take a tough line against foreign adversaries by supporting military innovation to maintain superiority in both our conventional and cyber warfare capabilities against Russia, China and other rogue regimes. In Congress, I’ll make sure our armed forces and law enforcement officials have the tools they need to fight the war on terror. I understand that fighting terrorism doesn’t just happen abroad and that we must remain vigilant to ensure we are always one step ahead of terrorist threats at home. ENDING VETERAN HOMELESSNESS California is facing a homelessness crisis. The sheer number of homeless individuals living on our streets is staggering. A shamefully high percentage of our homeless are veterans. After 15 long years of war, these heroes have returned home and need our help. They served our country; now it’s time we serve them. We must improve the quality of life for all of California’s veterans, especially those who currently find themselves on the street. I’ll fight for more permanent supportive housing units for homeless veterans and their families. Because veteran homelessness is frequently associated with inadequate mental healthcare, I’ll demand that Congress and the VA prioritize getting our heroes the medical benefits and care they deserve. I’ll demand accountability at the VA, to cut the bureaucracy that continues to deny our valued veterans the timely, quality care they’ve been promised, and consistently deliver for our veterans. I’ll also fight for support to local communities that increase access to mental health treatment services for veterans and their families. FIGHTING FOR GOOD SCHOOLS Education should be a local issue. But federal intervention and Washington bureaucracy continue to drag down educational standards in California. I believe experienced teachers, dedicated school board members and engaged parents should be empowered to make critical educational decisions on the local level, where local needs and desired outcomes are best understood. I know this local approach works because I did it for 18 years on the Saddleback Valley Unified School Board. As a parent and school board member, I fought for smaller class sizes, high-tech vocational programs and stricter teaching standards, leading to high school graduation rates that are currently at all- time highs. But it wasn’t easy, with government red tape seemingly blocking common-sense local efforts at almost every turn. Parents should not feel uncomfortable sending their children to public schools out of fear that a social agenda will be taught, an agenda that might be inconsistent with what they are teaching in the home. Teachers should teach what they teach best — reading, writing, math, and science, with arts, athletics, leadership and vocational training being offered, too. Education cannot be governed with a one-size-fits-all approach, and yet that’s the only approach Washington knows! That’s why I oppose national mandates, and any required uniformity that stifles our teachers, hobbles local school boards and parents, and takes the creativity out of teaching and learning. CREATING QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE America has the finest healthcare system in the world, but it only works for those who can afford to access it. I believe that every American should have access to quality, affordable healthcare from which they cannot be turned away. Obamacare, which was once touted as a universal solution, instead saddled millions of Americans with skyrocketing premiums, limited choices and burdensome taxes and regulations. Again and again, Washington politicians have dazzled voters with grand schemes for reforming healthcare, but the reality has fallen far short of the promise. In Congress, I will work towards meaningful systematic reform that gives patients control over their own healthcare choices, and does not burden them with excessive costs. I will support healthcare reform that takes power and control away from Washington regulators, and gives it back to states and localities to help their individual markets provide more choices, protect insurance consumers and better meet the needs of their residents. Allow americans to shop across state lines for health insurance, and allow insurance companies and institutions to offer large varieties of options for insurance, including low cost alternative insurance plans. BALANCING OUR NATION’S BUDGET Congress, not the President, controls the power of the purse. It’s Congress’ job to pass a budget, but rather than do the hard work of bipartisan compromise, Washington politicians have repeatedly “kicked the can down the road,” jumping from one fiscal deadline to the next with short-term band-aid spending bills instead of a real plan. The result? Constant partisan squabbling, billions in wasteful spending and painful government shutdowns. It’s a national outrage. Congress must do its job. We must cut billions in wasteful spending from our next – and all future – budgets. The Federal Debt surpassed $22 trillion this year, and its escalation is only accelerating. In Congress, I’ll work to drive down the debt by cutting unnecessary spending and putting deficit reduction back on Congress’ agenda. I know how to tame government budgets. In my time on the City Council and as Mayor of Laguna Hills, we implemented measures that are projected to soon make Laguna Hills one of the few cities in California that is debt-free. I know balanced budgets and debt reduction are possible, because I’ve done it! I am committed to getting a real and workable budget out of Congress – so committed, in fact, that I support a “No Budget, No Pay provision.” That means if Congress doesn’t pass a budget, we don’t get paid. It’s time the politicians put their money where their mouth is. IMPROVING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY I run a small business in Orange County and one thing I’ve learned is that when people keep more of their money they’ll invest it – growing their business and creating more jobs. I understand first hand how legislation affects small businesses. I’ll slash burdensome regulations that hold back growth. Trump’s tax reform was a step in the right direction but it hurts high tax states like California disproportionally by cutting the amount of state and local taxes (SALT) that Californians can write off. In Congress, I’ll fight to reinstate the SALT deduction in the tax law to protect every Californian. BORDER SECURITY AND ENDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION America has the right to control its borders and keep our citizens safe. The southern border must be secured, and that starts with a physical barrier to protect our homeland from drug smugglers, human traffickers and gangs. I will always support a nation that welcomes immigrants, but we must do so in an orderly, firm, and just way by enforcing our immigration laws and fairly adjudicating immigration applications while protecting Americans. We can firmly end illegal immigration, while treating the applicants with compassion. To end unlawful, undocumented immigration we need to cut out the root of the problem by eliminating the employment of illegal residents, mandating that employers use a modern employee verification system. Without the possibility of work, they will not come. In addition, I support legislation that will put an end to the ongoing abuse of our asylum laws, while still protecting legitimate asylum seekers. We must streamline the U.S. asylum system by increasing the number of judges to help clear the immigration court backlog. In Congress, I’ll stand up to California’s Sanctuary State law that frees and shields criminals by restricting cooperation between local police and federal law enforcement agencies. Sanctuary Cities are unconstitutional, unlawful and unsafe. PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS As your next Republican Congressman I will fight for limited government and defend the rights of the individual, so you can make your own choices. I will always vote to protect and preserve our Second Amendment rights. I will not let liberals take away our guns, dismantle our way of life or infringe on our constitutional rights. Free speech is under attack in America, especially on university and college campuses. There’s no exception to the First Amendment. I am committed to defending Americans’ first freedom at institutions of higher education. I will fiercely defend freedom of religion. Religious freedoms are under attack in our country like never before. I believe in the separation of church and state, but our laws and our public discourse should not discount or discourage respect for deity, our faiths or the faiths of those around us. I will defend every American’s right to worship according to his or her conscience, and won’t allow our voices to be silenced in the public square just because our social and political views may be rooted in our respective faiths.[2] |
” |
| —Don Sedgwick[3] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sedgwick for Congress, "Meet Don," accessed October 22, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Don Sedgwick 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 2, 2020
