DeLisa “Lisa” Fritsch is an American author, public speaker, entrepreneur and community activist. She was runner up in the 2014 Republican Primary against Greg Abbott for Governor of Texas. She has written three books on politics and social change, one of which, Obama Tea Parties and God, was a local bestseller. She is the CEO of LisaServes, LLC. Fritsch is Executive Director of Team Austin Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit scholarship initiative founded by Reza Piri of Team Austin to provide underserved students scholarships to coding academies. After losing in the Republican Primary for Governor of Texas, Fritsch changed her political affiliation to independent and directed her work and activism towards representing the underrepresented, building diversity and equity for females and women of color as well as minorities. She was a 2015 TEDx presenter for TEDxGreatHillsWomen presenting “The Freedom to be The Angry Black Woman.”
Early life
Fritsch was born in Tyler, Texas and raised by her single mother. Her parents divorced when she was five. As an only child and only grandchild on her paternal side, she was surrounded and heavily engaged and influenced by African-American civic and academic leaders in her community. In her youth she studied piano, dance, and was trained and received instruction in etiquette and foreign cultures and martial arts. Fritsch is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a BA Asian Studies: Japanese Language and Literature. She also studied Japanese at Obirin University in Tokyo, Japan.
Career
Fritsch began her technology career in Silicon Valley as the only African-American woman at her tech company. Here she developed an admiration for tech and for coaching and developing techies. Her passion for solving inequity began her career in television and media where she was a talk radio show host on KLBJ for ten years. Fristch was the founder and president of ACTS Alive, a "think tank that seeks to define the truth about conservative ideas in all forms of media." Fritsch has also lent a dynamic voice as a consultant and strategist for political campaigns and fundraising efforts. As a writer, Fritsch contributed to Breitbart News and wrote for The Tea Party Review, Freedom’s Journal, GOP USA, American Thinker, Townhall, and The Daily Caller.
Fritsch announced her decision to run for governor to her friends and supporters at Mighty Fine Burgers Fries & Shakes. After her announcement, she followed it by interviewing in Spanish with a Spanish-language television network. Her tag line during the race was "I'm not your father's conservative," referencing her position as the first black woman to run for governor in Texas. Fritsch received endorsements from groups such as BAMPAC, the Bastrop County Young Republicans, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, BlakPAC, and the Central Texas Coalition for Life. Fritsch called on one million citizens to contribute one dollar to her campaign so she could get her message out. Fritsch often warned the Texas GOP that the state could turn Democratic if they refused to reach out to changing demographics. Fritsch also noted that she was financially the most charitable candidate in the race. She was one of three candidates running against Greg Abbott, the party favorite, and she was described as the most serious of Abbott's rivals. Fritsch finished second in a four-way primary race, behind Abbott, with 4.4% of the vote.
Political views
During her candidacy for governor in 2014, Fritsch laid out nine branches of what her vision for Texas would look like under her leadership: Education Reform: Prepare the Child, Not the Path Life is a Terrible Thing to Waste A New Day In The Republican Party Immigration Reform Policy The Second Amendment Dignity for our Veterans Texans with Disabilities Transparency States Rights Fritsch later changed political affiliations from Republican to Independent following her run for governor. She writes about this in her book Politically Corrected. Fritsch provided an analysis of the 2016 Republican Presidential candidates and provided five tips of advice to the GOP in November 2015. Recognizing herself as an "unlikely defender", Fritsch went through in expressing her support for Donald J. Trump's candidacy for president during the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary on April 28, 2016, stating that she was once a "state level" version of him in the sense that they were both 'outsiders.'
Personal life
Fritsch is a 7th generation Texan born and raised in East Texas. She was raised by her single divorced mother who worked three jobs to avoid welfare assistance and provide herself with extracurricular and educational opportunities. Fritsch went on to study at the University of Texas at Austin where she majored in Asian studies and studied abroad in Japan. Her single mother, Debra played a huge role in her political beliefs. Fritsch often recalled a moment between the two of them when she ran for governor in 2014. Her mother had abruptly stopped the Vega: "She looked me in the eye and said, ‘I would rather us both starve than for me to put you on a path where you didn’t have dignity and you would feel like a victim,’” Fritsch said. “At that moment, I was transformed.” While at the University of Texas, she attended a meeting for Republican students and felt that their political views mirrored those of her mother, beginning her interest in politics and activism. In 2000, Fritsch married Michael Fritsch. They have two children and divorced in 2017.
