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Yesenia Edelmira "Jessie" Rodriguez (née Garay born July 5, 1977) is a Salvadoran American immigrant and Republican politician from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 21st Assembly district since December 2013. She is the first Hispanic immigrant elected to the Wisconsin Legislature.

Early life and education

Jessie Rodriguez was born Yesenia Edelmira Garay, on July 5, 1977, in the Usulután Department, El Salvador. As a child, in 1984, she emigrated to the United States with her family, eventually settling in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 in 2002. After graduating college, 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.

Political career

Her prominent role in the school voucher movement in Milwaukee County made Rodriguez a close political ally of Republican county executive and later governor Scott Walker.

When the Republican Legislature drew up their redistricting plan following the 2010 U.S. census, the 21st state Assembly district—then comprising the cities of Oak Creek and South Milwaukee—was slightly adjusted, adding just a few blocks of the neighboring city of Franklin. Those few blocks of Franklin contained the home where Rodriguez then resided.

In August 2013, the state representative in Rodriguez's new district, Mark Honadel, announced he would resign in the middle of his term to take a job in the private sector. Governor Walker called a special election in the 21st district seat, to serve out the remainder of the 2013–2014 term. Rodriguez won the special Republican primary for the seat in October, taking 48% of the vote against a field of four opponents. In its configuration at that time, the 21st Assembly district was considered competitive but slightly Republican-leaning—Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had edged out Barack Obama in the 2012 general election by two percentage points in the district. Rodriguez slightly overperformed that benchmark in her special election, defeating Democrat Elizabeth Coppola with 56% of the vote.

She was sworn in as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly on December 4, 2013. She was re-elected without opposition at the 2014 general election and joined the Assembly Republican caucus leadership team in the 2015–2016 term as majority caucus secretary. She was comfortably re-elected in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. In the 2021–2022 legislative term, Rodriguez stepped down from her caucus leadership position and was appointed to a coveted seat on the Joint Finance Committee; Joint Finance is considered the most powerful committee in the state legislature, whose 16 members oversee all of the state's appropriations and revenues.

In 2024, Wisconsin underwent a significant redistricting which undid the Republican partisan advantage that had existed in the state since 2011. Rodriguez's district was significantly affected as the more Republican leaning areas of Franklin were removed from the district and replaced with more Democratic leaning wards from the southern reaches of the city of Milwaukee. The neighboring Democratic-leaning city of South Milwaukee was also removed from the district. Under the new maps, she won re-election for the 21st Assembly district with 51.4% of the vote, making it one of the most politically competitive districts in the State Assembly.

Personal life and family

Jessie Garay took the last name Rodriguez when she married Aaron Rodriguez. They have one child and reside in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Electoral history

References

1. ^ "Biography". State Representative Jessie Rodriguez. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
2. "Meet Jessie". Jessie for Assembly. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-20 – via Wayback Machine.
3. "Hispanics for School Choice". Hispanics for School Choice. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
4. ^ "Jessie Rodriguez could become the Legislature's first Hispanic Republican". The Capital Times. September 18, 2013. p. 14. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Barish, Lawrence S.; Lemanski, Lynn, eds. (2011). "Biographies" (PDF). State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-9752820-1-4. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
6. Pohlman, Julie; Lemanski, Lynn (eds.). "Biographies" (PDF). State of Wisconsin 2013–2014 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-9752820-6-9. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
7. "Republican legislator announces retirement". Wisconsin State Journal. August 28, 2013. p. 5. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ 2013 Special Election Assembly 21 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2013. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
10. Craver, Jack (September 12, 2013). "Jessie Rodriguez could become Wisconsin Legislature's first Hispanic Republican". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
11. Garza, Jesse (November 19, 2013). "Republican Jessie Rodriguez elected to Assembly for 21st District". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
12. "Jessie for Assembly". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
13. "Representative Jessie Rodriguez (2015)". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
14. "Representative Jessie Rodriguez (2021)". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
15. Bauer Jr., Jere M. (January 2011). Joint Committee on Finance (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
16. "2023 Joint Committee on Finance". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
17. "Assembly District 21". Wisconsin Watch. September 6, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
18. 2024 Wisconsin General Elections Results - State Assembly District 21
19. Morales, Eddie; Files, Emily (July 30, 2024). "Wisconsin Assembly District 21 election: Rodriguez vs. Marstellar". WUWM. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
20. ^ County by County Report - 2024 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 27, 2024. p. 21. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 13. Retrieved October 6, 2024.

External links

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Jessie Rodriguez at Ballotpedia
• Official website
• Representative Jessie Rodriguez (2023) at Wisconsin Legislature
• Hispanics for School Choice

• 1977 births
• Living people
• People from Usulután Department
• People from Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
• People from Oak Creek, Wisconsin
• Politicians from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
• Salvadoran emigrants to the United States
• Marquette University alumni
• Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• Latino conservatism in the United States
• Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Wisconsin
• Hispanic and Latino American women in politics
• American politicians of Salvadoran descent
• Women state legislators in Wisconsin
• 21st-century American women politicians
• 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature