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Cathy Myers

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Catherine Myers
Janesville School District Board of Education At-large
Tenure
2013 - Present
Term ends
2025
Years in position
12

Elections and appointments
Last election
August 13, 2024
Education
Bachelor's
Westminster College, 1980
Graduate
The University of Iowa, 1993
Graduate
University of Iowa, Walden University, 2005
Personal
Birthplace
Iowa City, IA
Profession
Educator
Contact

Catherine Myers (Democratic Party) is a member of the Janesville School District Board of Education At-large in Wisconsin. She assumed office in 2013. Her current term ends in 2025.

Myers (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 44. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 13, 2024.

Myers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Myers was a Democratic candidate for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House. Myers lost the primary on August 14, 2018.

Biography

Catherine Myers was born in Iowa City, Iowa. Myers earned a bachelor's degree from the Westminster College in 1980, a master's degree in arts teaching from University of Iowa in 1993, and a master's degree in technology in the classroom from Walden University in 2005. Her career experience includes teaching English at Hononegah High School in Rockton, IL, for over 20 years. She has been affiliated with the Zonta Club of Janesville and The Woman's Club.[1][2]

Elections

2024

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2024

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 44

Ann Roe defeated Bruce Danielson in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 44 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ann Roe
Ann Roe (D) Candidate Connection
 
56.4
 
17,335
Bruce Danielson (R)
 
43.5
 
13,371
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
37

Total votes: 30,743
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 44

Ann Roe defeated Catherine Myers in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 44 on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ann Roe
Ann Roe Candidate Connection
 
54.3
 
3,771
Image of Catherine Myers
Catherine Myers Candidate Connection
 
45.6
 
3,170
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
4

Total votes: 6,945
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 44

Bruce Danielson advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 44 on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Bruce Danielson
 
99.3
 
2,699
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
19

Total votes: 2,718
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Myers in this election.

2018

See also: Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 1

Bryan Steil defeated Randy Bryce and Ken Yorgan in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 1 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bryan Steil
Bryan Steil (R)
 
54.6
 
177,492
Image of Randy Bryce
Randy Bryce (D)
 
42.3
 
137,508
Image of Ken Yorgan
Ken Yorgan (Independent)
 
3.1
 
10,006
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
7

Total votes: 325,013
Candidate Connection = 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 1

Randy Bryce defeated Catherine Myers in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 1 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Randy Bryce
Randy Bryce
 
59.6
 
36,406
Image of Catherine Myers
Catherine Myers
 
40.4
 
24,699

Total votes: 61,105
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 1

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 1 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bryan Steil
Bryan Steil
 
51.6
 
30,885
Image of Nick Polce
Nick Polce
 
14.9
 
8,948
Image of Paul Nehlen
Paul Nehlen
 
11.1
 
6,638
Kevin Steen
 
10.5
 
6,262
Jeremy Ryan
 
10.4
 
6,226
Image of Bradley Thomas Boivin
Bradley Thomas Boivin
 
1.5
 
924

Total votes: 59,883
Candidate Connection = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates




2016

See also: Janesville School District elections (2016)
Janesville School District,
At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Michelle Haworth 21.11% 8,141
Green check mark transparent.png Jim Millard 19.00% 7,326
Stephanie Kortyna-Rapach 18.68% 7,203
Karl Dommershausen Incumbent 14.14% 5,452
Green check mark transparent.png Cathy Myers Incumbent 26.16% 10,088
Write-in votes 0.39% 148
Total Votes (100) 38,358
Source: Rock County Board of Elections, "Election Results - April 5, 2016 Final Results," accessed June 15, 2016

2013

Janesville School District, At-large General Election, 3-year term, April 2, 2013
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngCathy Myers 21.5% 4,018
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngKristin Hesselbacher 17.9% 3,338
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngKarl Dommershausen 17.7% 3,313
     Nonpartisan Diane Eyers 17.2% 3,220
     Nonpartisan Peter D. Severson 16.6% 3,096
     Nonpartisan Fred Jackson 8.9% 1,659
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.2% 31
Total Votes 18,675
Source: Rock County Clerk, "2013 Spring Nonpartisan," accessed January 28, 2014

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Catherine Myers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Myers' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Cathy is a retired school teacher, union president, and current Janesville school board commissioner.
  • Wisconsin's public schools have been underfunded for years; teachers are leaving the profession, and too few young people are going into education. I will support public education in Wisconsin.
  • Wisconsin's public workers deserve a seat at the table. I will work to reverse anti-labor legislation in Wisconsin.
  • I trust women when it comes to making decisions about their healthcare and bodies. I will work to guarantee the right to reproductive healthcare and access to abortion services.
Public education, workers' rights, women's health, and the environment.
I look up to my parents. They set the standard for me as far as work ethic, service, and credibility.
An elected official should be a hard worker, a fighter, and never forget that it's not about them; it's about their community.
I know how to get things done and how to work with others toward a goal. I'm also tenacious and hard working.
The core responsibility of an elected official is to always think about the best interests of their community, region, and state. They should do their homework, talk to their constituents and make an informed decision.
I would like to leave a legacy where people believe I did my best for them, that I made the best decision I could, and always cared about the kind of work I did, regardless of whether they agreed with me on the issues.
I remember the Vietnam War and the protests in my hometown against it. I was 8.
My first job started the day after I turned 10. My dad had me picking up trash and painting at our family business. I worked for our family business on and off until I was 30. I was also had a paper route, was a camp counselor for a summer, and de-tasseled corn. After college, I worked as a radio news producer and a day-care provider. I eventually became a public school teacher until I retired after 28 years.
I was an English teacher, so I have many favorite books! My favorite authors include Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, E.L. Doctorow, James Patterson, and Steven King.
Baby Shark. I have a grand daughter.
I was a single mom, so making ends meet while trying to provide my children with the things they needed and wanted was often a struggle.
Supporting pubic education, supporting Wisconsin workers, guaranteeing women's access to reproductive care and abortion, and protecting the environment are the biggest challenges over the next decade.
I think it's very helpful to have had previous experience in government and politics. Your involvement in these areas is often the reason behind your run for the seat. It gives you a close up look at the issues and challenges facing your community and informs your decision making.
I am a collaborative person by nature. I believe everyone has experiences and skills that they can bring to an issue that are helpful to finding a solution to a problem.
I already ran for Congress in 2018. I have no interest in running for that office again because I think I could be more effective in the State Legislature.
John “Sly” Sylvester - Madison Radio Host

Jim Millard - Janesville School Board

Karl Dommershausen - Janesville School Board

John Hanewall - Janesville School Board

Amiee Leavy - Beloit School Board

Megan Miller - Beloit School Board

Sean Leavy - Beloit School Board

Genia Stevens - Rock County Board of Supervisors

Yuri Rashkin - Rock County Board of Supervisors

R.J. Sutterlin - Rock County Board of Supervisors

Phil Gorman - Rock County Board of Supervisors

Kevin Leavy - Rock County Board of Supervisors, Beloit City Council

Anissa Welch - Mayor of Milton

Emily Kuhn - Mayor of Middleton

Michael Cass - Democratic Organizer
The Assembly Committee on Education

The Assembly Committee on Labor and Integrated Employment
Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care

Assembly Committee on Environment
Financial transparency and being accountable to those your serve are very important. Your community needs to know how you are spending their money and why.

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.

2018

Campaign website

Myers' campaign website included the following themes:

Healthcare is a Right
I unequivocally support Medicare for All. A universal healthcare system will save lives, reduce our overall healthcare spending by trillions, and eliminate a major hurdle for entrepreneurs.

I want small business owners to profit, not insurance companies.

While obstructionists in Congress block progress on Medicare for All, I will actively advocate for universal healthcare and Medicaid expansion legislation at the state level, which does not require federal action.

To win, we must organize and elevate the stories of people affected by our broken system. Children, like my friend Jack, would be unable to pay for life-saving medication if Representative Ryan got his way.

Defending Public Education
As a 24-year high school teacher, I have watched our public education system slowly deteriorate due to decades of partisan attacks. It’s why I ran for the Janesville school board and why I continue to serve my community – to use my experience to advocate for students, parents, and teachers.

Our democracy depends on quality public education.

Donald Trump’s appointment of Betsy DeVos was a travesty and we must resist her persistent attacks on our neighborhood schools. I oppose her ideological crusade to shift federal education funding from public to religious schools.

I believe we should invest in free public college and provide the resources our technical and trade schools need to adapt to the rapidly-evolving global economy.

End Mass Shootings to Protect Our Kids
Our schools should be a sanctuary for our children, but they have become a primary target of those who seek to use gun violence to terrorize our communities. I will take on the NRA and demand legislation to ban military-style assault weapons, prohibit high-capacity magazines, raise the age for purchasing a gun to 21, require universal background checks on all gun purchases, and close the loopholes that allow those guilty of domestic violence to own a firearm.

This is a societal problem that we all must take action to address.

Get active by forming or joining community groups to advocate for stricter laws at the state and local level, promote gun storage safety, and establish buyback programs to get guns off our streets. Real reform is achievable if we work together to reduce gun violence, suicides, and mass shootings in our communities.

Make College More Affordable
Paul Ryan has advocated for the elimination of Pell Grants and wants to force young Americans to take on even more student loan debt. His short-sighted approach limits access to a college education for low-income families and limits the ability of all students to reach their full potential.

Student debt relief will unleash innovation and improve our economy.

The nearly $1.5 trillion student loan bubble is expanding before our eyes, so we must take action to address it. More than 44 million Americans are burdened by student loans and over 11% of borrowers are unable to make payments. I will work hard to make student loan repayment more affordable so young Americans can afford to buy a home, start a family, and follow their passions to start new businesses that create jobs in our communities.

Hands Off Women
Decisions about your health should be made by you and your doctor, not corporate executives or politicians. History will not view Paul Ryan’s attempts to regulate women’s bodies favorably, so the time is now to hold him accountable.

I have always been 100% pro-choice and will never compromise on women’s health.

I have spent my life fighting for women’s equality. I was part of the first full class of women to graduate from Westminster College, a formerly all-male college. I have actively organized women locally to build political and economic power. As a member of Zonta in Janesville, I volunteer to empower women in my community and world. I am a graduate of the Emerge political training program, and have consistently supported women running for political office.

Championing LGBT Rights
We must stay vigilant to protect LGBT rights, which are being threatened by Donald Trump’s radical agenda.

The LGBT community can trust me to be a consistent and vocal ally.

I have always stood up for my friends in the LGBT community. When a student asked for my help starting a Gay-Straight Alliance in 2007, I did not hesitate. When dozens of protesters spoke out at a routine school board committee hearing to approve the group, I spoke against them and then we organized local residents to show their support for our group at the next meeting.

The school board approved our Gay-Straight Alliance, and our group has played a leading role in successfully changing the culture for LGBT students at our school.

Fixing Our Broken Immigration System
Our current immigration system is cruel, and we should be ashamed of our government’s treatment of immigrant families. I will protect DACA recipients and their families.

I support policies that unite families and communities.

We must take the enforcement of federal immigration laws out of the hands of state and local police. Minority populations should feel safe and secure in this country, so we should not allow them to be one election away from constant harassment by an out of control politician like Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.

We must put an end to the private prison industry, which benefits the most from our broken immigration system.

Protecting Our Natural Resources
Our climate is changing and we have no choice but to respond. We can either address the root causes now, or force our children to deal with the catastrophic consequences of our continued inaction.

We must take action to address this threat to our planet.

As demand for fresh water increases, so too should our efforts to protect the Great Lakes, Wisconsin’s greatest treasure. Our economy relies on our natural resources, so we cannot continue to watch them be destroyed in pursuit of short-term corporate profits.

As a member of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, I paid my own way to go to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress to support reasonable solutions to climate change. I will stand up to powerful special interests to protect our environment.

Stopping Enbridge Pipelines
Allowing Canadian tar sands oil to flow over our railways and under our rivers makes us less safe and increases our dependence on foreign oil. I am not afraid to take on powerful corporations and the politicians that do their bidding.

We need to keep oil in the ground and shift the American economy to 100% renewable energy.

You can count on me to use my platform to raise the voices of landowners and indigenous communities directly affected by the expansion of tar sands infrastructure, specifically Enbridge pipelines.

Unrigging Our Economy
The middle class is disappearing because millionaires and billionaires control too many politicians in Congress. You can trust me to oppose those powerful corporate interests and do what’s right for my constituents.

We must rebuild our economy from the bottom up.

That’s why I believe that all workers deserve to make at least $15/hour and be represented by a union. I will work to make our tax code progressive again by taxing Wall Street financial transactions and ensuring that CEOs no longer pay a lower rate than their secretaries.

More Voting, Less Money in Politics
We may not fix any of these issues unless we solve the underlying problem of money in politics. I have consistently supported publicly-financed elections, and will strongly advocate for campaign finance reforms that increase transparency and make it possible for the most qualified candidates to run for office regardless of personal wealth or privilege.

The only defense against organized money is organized people.

I will continue to do the hard work of organizing with local groups against money in politics at the federal, state, and local level. We should expand ballot access through automatic voter registration, restore faith in democracy through ranked-choice voting, and guarantee every citizen a constitutional right to vote.

The Republican movement to disenfranchise large swaths of Americans is reminiscent of our racist history of poll taxes, literacy tests, and other forms of voter suppression targeting the black community. We must restore the Voting Rights Act, which had been our most successful defense against voter suppression for over 50 years.[3]

Cathy for Congress[4]


Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Catherine Myers campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Wisconsin State Assembly District 44Lost primary$43,049 $43,063
2018U.S. House Wisconsin District 1Lost primary$1,578,873 $1,534,303
Grand total$1,621,922 $1,577,366
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 14, 2024
  2. Janesville School District, "Board of Education 2014-2015," accessed September 22, 2014
  3. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. Cathy Myers for Congress, "On the Issues," accessed April 26, 2018


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