Jessie Rodriguez
Jessie Rodriguez | |
---|---|
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 21st district | |
Assumed office December 4, 2013 | |
Preceded by | Mark Honadel |
Personal details | |
Born | Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador | July 5, 1977
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Aaron |
Children | 1 |
Residence | Oak Creek, Wisconsin |
Alma mater | Marquette University (BA) |
Occupation | politician |
Website | Official website |
Jessie Rodriguez (born July 5, 1977) is a Salvadoran American immigrant and Republican politician. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 21st Assembly district since December 2013. She is the first Hispanic immigrant elected to the Wisconsin Legislature.
Early life and education
Born in El Salvador, Rodriguez moved to the United States in 1984 with her family, eventually settling in Milwaukee.[1] She graduated from Milwaukee's Alexander Hamilton High School in 1996 and went on to attend Milwaukee's Marquette University where she earned her bachelor's degree in communications.[2] After graduating college in 2002, Jessie worked as an analyst for a large supermarket chain, but eventually landed a job as a communications outreach coordinator for Hispanics for School Choice.[3]
Political career
On November 19, 2013, Rodriguez became the first Latin American immigrant to be elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature. She was sworn into the Wisconsin State Assembly on December 4, 2013, as a Republican.[4][5][6] In 2021, Rodriguez was appointed to the Joint Finance Committee, a powerful 16-member budgeting committee overseeing all of the state's appropriations and revenues.
Personal life and family
Rodriguez lives in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, with her husband and son.[1]
Electoral history
Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Primary[7] | October 22 | Jessie Rodriguez | Republican | 1,513 | 47.82% | Chris Kujawa | Rep. | 866 | 27.37% | 3,164 | 647 |
Ken Gehl | Rep. | 536 | 16.94% | |||||||||
Larry Gamble | Rep. | 170 | 5.37% | |||||||||
Jason Red Arnold | Rep. | 73 | 2.31% | |||||||||
Special[8] | November 19 | Jessie Rodriguez | Republican | 4,557 | 56.40% | Elizabeth Coppola | Dem. | 3,523 | 43.60% | 8,080 | 1,034 | |
2014 | General[9] | November 4 | Jessie Rodriguez (inc.) | Republican | 16,051 | 96.54% | 16,626 | 15,476 | ||||
2016 | General[10] | November 8 | Jessie Rodriguez (inc.) | Republican | 16,589 | 59.30% | Jack Redmond | Dem. | 11,338 | 40.53% | 27,975 | 5,251 |
2018 | General[11] | November 6 | Jessie Rodriguez (inc.) | Republican | 14,280 | 54.66% | Gabriel A. Gomez | Dem. | 11,806 | 45.19% | 26,123 | 2,474 |
2020 | General[12] | November 3 | Jessie Rodriguez (inc.) | Republican | 17,729 | 54.61% | Erik Brooks | Dem. | 14,708 | 45.3% | 32,466 | 3,021 |
References
- ^ a b "Biography". State Representative Jessie Rodriguez. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "Meet Jessie". Jessie for Assembly. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-20 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Hispanics for School Choice". Hispanics for School Choice. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ Craver, Jack (September 12, 2013). "Jessie Rodriguez could become Wisconsin Legislature's first Hispanic Republican". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Garza, Jesse (November 19, 2013). "Republican Jessie Rodriguez elected to Assembly for 21st District". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "Jessie for Assembly". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2013 Special Primary Assembly 21 - 10/22/2013 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. October 29, 2013. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ 2013 Special Election Assembly 21 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2013. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2014. pp. 13–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.