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Rebecca Witherspoon
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Rebecca Witherspoon (Republican Party) ran for election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 42. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Witherspoon also ran for election to the Dane County Board of Supervisors to represent District 22 in Wisconsin. She lost in the general election on April 2, 2024.
Witherspoon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Rebecca Witherspoon was born in Evansville, Indiana. She earned a high school diploma from the Evansville Day School, Evansville, Indiana. She earned a bachelor's degree from the Indiana University-Bloomington in 1999. Her career experience includes working as a legal assistant.[1]
Elections
2024
Wisconsin State Assembly
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42
Maureen McCarville defeated Rebecca Witherspoon in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Maureen McCarville (D) | 55.0 | 20,400 |
 | Rebecca Witherspoon (R)  | 44.9 | 16,648 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 38 | ||
| Total votes: 37,086 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42
Maureen McCarville advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42 on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maureen McCarville | 99.9 | 8,253 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 6 | ||
| Total votes: 8,259 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sarah Keyeski (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42
Rebecca Witherspoon advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42 on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rebecca Witherspoon | 99.2 | 3,879 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 32 | ||
| Total votes: 3,911 | |||
| = 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 Witherspoon in this election.
Dane County Board of Supervisors
General election
General election for Dane County Board of Supervisors District 22
Incumbent Maureen McCarville defeated Rebecca Witherspoon in the general election for Dane County Board of Supervisors District 22 on April 2, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maureen McCarville (Nonpartisan) | 56.4 | 1,383 |
| Rebecca Witherspoon (Nonpartisan) | 43.5 | 1,067 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 2,454 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Maureen McCarville and Rebecca Witherspoon advanced from the primary for Dane County Board of Supervisors District 22.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Witherspoon in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Wisconsin State Assembly
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rebecca Witherspoon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Witherspoon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m a wife, mom, and grandma, balancing family life with entrepreneurship as a small business owner. Since 2021, I’ve served as a Trustee on the DeForest Village Board, contributing to community growth. With over 25 years in the legal field, I bring expertise and dedication to my work. Previously, I’ve been a school bus driver and an advocate for victims of domestic violence, as well as working with children in need. My journey reflects a commitment to family, community, and service.
- Addressing Rising Costs and Lowering the Tax Burden. As a wife, mother, and grandmother, I know families across Wisconsin are continuing to feel the squeeze of inflation as they walk down the aisle at the grocery store or sit down to balance their household budget. That’s why I will fight to continue reducing the tax burden on the middle class, retirees, and those with kids in childcare. We must make sure you are able to keep more of your hard-earned money and stop destructive efforts to raise your taxes.
- Empowering Parents and Putting Kids First. Ensuring kids have the opportunity for a great education is a top priority. That’s why I support reforms to give parents more information, transparency, and options when it comes to their child’s education. I also support efforts to ensure our schools are able to provide our students a quality education and expand access to great schools for students across Wisconsin. I will always push for policies that truly put our kids first.
- Prioritizing Our Local Communities. As a Deforest Village Board Trustee, I know the unique issues and challenges our local communities face. In the Assembly, I will fight for local small businesses, so they can continue to help our communities thrive and will work to ensure our schools receive the funding they need to provide our students a quality education. I will also work to ensure our local governments receive the funding they need to maintain quality police, fire, and emergency services.
Criminal justice and public safety; Education; Local Government; Government accountability and oversight; and Regulatory licensing and reform.
I look up to people who never give up on what they now to be right. People who take bad experiences and use them to overcome otherwise seemingly impossible obstacles. One such person that I hold great admiration for is Nelson Mandela. He fought alongside others for years in South Africa to overcome the aberrant apartheid and even unjustly served 27 years in prison for standing up against what is wrong. Against seemingly impossible obstacles he was eventually released from prison and even as a convicted “criminal” became the countries first black head of state.
One of my very favorite movies is about the initially naive, under-estimated, underdog portrayed in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” I was always in the background for many years, quietly going about the business of living. But then I was encouraged to run for local office and was elected. I learned on the job how to represent the people of my village. I have been outspoken against what I perceive as inappropriate treatment of the people by their elected officials. I don’t care if you agree or don’t agree with me, I will always stand up for your right to express your opinion and to take your grievances before your government. And when you can’t do it, I will stand in your place.
Integrity, Accountability, Empathy, Competence, Transparency, Fairness, Vision, Resilience, Communication Skills, Willingness to Collaborate, Dedication, Problem-Solving Abilities, Inclusive of Diverse Opinions, and Ethical Leadership.
Perseverance, compassion, kindness, integrity, a willingness to listen even to those with whom I don’t always agree, intelligence, faith, experience.
The core functions of a state legislator is passing bills that create amend, and/or repeal laws that are codified in our state statutes. The legislative branch of our state government also acts as oversight of our state executive branch. These core functions are accomplished through various means including standing committees, floor sessions, and study committees. Another core function of a state legislator, which I believe is probably the most important, is to get out and meet with our constituents, to learn what their concerns and desires are, to celebrate their accomplishments, to encourage them, to listen to them, and to go back to Madison and actively advocate on their behalf. We have two ears and one mouth and we should be listening at least twice as much as we talk. The people hire us to be their voice so they can get on with their lives.
To never give up. To never be afraid to stand up for what you believe is right and against what you believe is wrong. A fearless, trailblazing attitude focused on getting things done to benefit the people is what I would like others to think of when they think of me. Most of all, that I never gave up and I persevered even when others tried to stop me.
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy was the first historical event that happened in my lifetime that I can remember. I was a toddler at the time of the event, but I distinctly remember watching the funeral on television and seeing JFK Jr. saluting his dad’s casket. Even as a young child, watching him pay honor to his dad touched me.
My very first paid job was when I was in high school and I worked at McDonald’s. I worked with McDonald’s for a number of years through high school.
There are so many inspirational books that I have read through my life including “Lord of the Flies”, “Animal Farm,” “The Great Gatsby,” “1984,” “Catcher in the Rye,” and so many others. But by far, my all-time favorite book is “Hinds Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. This books chronicles the allegorical journey of a young woman who is filled with fear and controlled by others. She takes a job with the Shepherd and the Shepherd treats her with kindness and sparks a flame of hope in her. He encourages her to take a journey to the High Places where she is promised to be transformed. Although filled with fear, she starts out on her journey. She encounters many dangers, trials, and attacks by people not only in her family by members of the community she had grown up in. But she persevered and ultimately reaches the High Places. It’s a story of overcoming one’s fears and becoming the person you are meant to be.
Anne of Green Gables!
Dan Folgelberg’s “Nether Lands” is a song that has inspired me for 40 plus years. Never stop dreaming. Don’t let forks in the road cause you to drop your dreams. When you get to the end of one dream, always, always, always have another dream. Never, ever give up.
“ High on this mountain
The clouds down below
I'm feeling so strong and alive
From this rocky perch
I'll continue to search
For the wind
And the snow
And the sky
I want a lover
I want some friends
And I want to live in the sun
And I want to do all the things that I
Never have done
Sunny bright mornings
And pale moonlit nights
Keep me from feeling alone
Now, I'm learning to fly
And this freedom is like
Nothing that I've ever known
I've seen the bottom
And I've been on top
But mostly I've lived in between
And where do you go
When you get to the end of
Your dream?
Off in the nether lands
I heard a sound
Like the beating of heavenly wings
And deep in my brain
I can hear a refrain
Of my soul as she rises and sings
Anthems to glory and
Anthems to love and
Hymns filled with early delight
Like the songs that the darkness
Composes to worship the light
Once in a vision
I came on some woods
And stood at a fork in the road
My choices were clear
Yet I froze with the fear
Of not knowing which way to go
One road was simple
Acceptance of life
The other road offered sweet peace
When I made my decision
I struggled with fear of heights for nearly 50 years. I was afraid to get on a step ladder, be near a large picture window up several stories, drive in the mountains. But I am someone who absolutely loves to travel, so I would fly. I would be nervous, but I would never allow it to stop me from seeing new places and experiencing new cultures. A number of years ago, I finally decided I was sick and tired of being scared, and decided I would livestream myself zip lining—something I’d never done before—but not just any old zip line. Nope, I zip lined the Grand Canyon and video taped it. Watching the video now you’ll hear my utter terror and hyperventilating as I am strapped in. the moment they push me out over seemingly nothing I begin to scream and that scream suddenly takes a dramatic change and becomes an expression of wonder. I was free. Since that time I have hiked mountains, been in gondolas up the sides of mountains, stood on the sides of cliffs, and so much more. If you’re struggling with an extreme fear, I highly encourage you to do whatever you can to put yourself in situations that will help you to overcome those fears. You will free yourself to unlimited possibilities in your life.
At all times, but especially when you have a governor from one party and a state legislature with a majority from another party, their relationship should always be one built on mutual respect, effective communication, negotiation, and working even more closely in times of crisis. At all times governors and state legislatures should do whatever they can to work together for the good of the people they are serving.
The cost of housing. The increased cost of materials, labor, permits, the amount of regulations and length of time to work through the process of approvals, impact fees, very high interest rates, etc. Another contributing factor is housing inventory has dwindled as more current owners are hanging onto homes that are financed at much lower interest rates, but demand has not slowed. It’s a vicious cycle. It appears things may finally be slowing down, but it will take quite a few years to recover during which we may see temporary decreases in home values, which may cause some homeowners with higher interest rates to struggle even more than they are now as well as municipalities possibly experiencing at least temporary reductions in their tax revenues as values take a dip. Finding ways to protect our most vulnerable residents living on fixed and/or limited incomes will be important.
Previous government and/or political experience does not make one person more qualified than another. However, I do believe that previous professional and/or personal experience can enable some to be better prepared. If we disqualify folks simply because they have never previously worked in government or politics then we will eventually run out of “qualified” people. This would ultimately result in limited perspectives, a stagnation of innovative ideas, higher risk for corruption, reinforce partisanship, and public officials who have virtually no real-world experience from which to draw when creating policies that affect the everyday person they serve.
It takes many people from different backgrounds and perspectives to be able to come up with effective solutions for complex issues. As a current Trustee for the Village of DeForest, I have found it invaluable to not only forge relationships in my community to better understand what my constituents are concerned with and desire, but also to forge relationships with my fellow Trustees to be able to work more efficiently and cohesively toward common goals and outcomes. Building relationships also allows people to respect each other’s input while holding each other accountable.
Two legislators I greatly admire are Representative Jessie Rodriguez and Senator Joan Ballweg, who have served for many years in the State Assembly and the State Senate. Both have been fearless and in many ways pioneers for Republican Women in the State of Wisconsin. I consider them trailblazers. It’s that fearless, trailblazing attitude focused on getting things done to benefit the people of this state that I would like others to think of when they think of me. We are just as fierce (and in some cases, fiercer) than our male counterparts. One of my favorite sayings is, “Go ahead, underestimate me. That’ll be fun!”
I have no intentions at this point in time to run for a different political office, but I cannot rule that out. I will say I will only run for another office if I believe I can be more effective in helping the people of this great state by holding a different office.
A woman who lives in my district, but who does not live in the Village where I am a Trustee, came to me a few years ago. She has limited means and has children with special needs. As a result, it has been very difficult for her to find affordable housing, and to purchase a home has been virtually impossible. She reached out to me to find out if I would be supportive getting Moving’ Out Wisconsin approved in the Village of DeForest. I was surprised to learn that the Village did not already allow it and helped her understand how she could advocate to get it approved. Ultimately, we were able to get the program approved in the Village. She now has hope that she’ll be able to finally be able to own a home in the community of her choice. It’s vulnerable people just like her that need our help the most.
Anything that makes me laugh. I love comedy and will laugh at jokes I’ve heard many, many times because I can never remember the punch lines. I LOVE to laugh! It lowers your blood pressure and releases endorphins that create happiness and peace.
Having emergency powers vested in only one individual can be problematic and maintaining legislative oversight of these powers is vitally important. Oversight helps prevent abuse of power, provides accountability, provides diverse perspectives and expertise, provides the public trust and confidence the powers used adhere to our constitutional principles and legal frameworks. Finding balance between needed oversight and the possibility of delayed response times and political gridlock requires adherence to clear guidelines for those powers that are granted as well as those that are retained. It’s also imperative that after each crisis, a post-crisis review should be conducted to identify what worked well and what needs to be improved.
One of my first priorities will be to advocate for increased shared revenues with our communities as well as identifying ways to improve upon the existing expenditure restraint program. As a Trustee in the Village of DeForest, I have seen first hand how beneficial shared revenue is in the budget process and reducing the local tax burden for residents of especially smaller communities. Finding ways to increase this effective tool as well improving upon the existing expenditure restraint program I believe would be beneficial to communities as a whole, but especially to our smaller communities.
While I have not actively sought public endorsements yet, I have received the public endorsement of Representative William Penterman.
Committees which I am particularly passionate about and well suited for include
• Criminal Justice and Public Safety
• Education
• Local Government
• Task Force on Human Trafficking
• Government Accountability and Oversight
• Regulatory Licensing Reform
• Workforce Development and Economic Opportunities
• Housing and Real Estate
I will always fight for greater transparency, accountability, and integrity in government. Too often, our public officials seem to profit from their position as an elected official and this must stop.
State ballot initiatives can have both positive and negative implications, and whether it is good or bad for our state depends on various factors. Some pros include enabling direct democracy, accountability, resolving political gridlock or enabling the people of the state to take action on something the legislature is otherwise unwilling or too slow to tackle, and can also allow the state to test the waters of how the people of the state might react to new or innovative approaches to a particular issue. The cons include issues are often complex and sometimes require a level of expertise to fully understand the various ramifications of different policy approaches; special interests groups can often exert significant influence over the process potentially leading to outcomes that favor only a small segment of the population rather than the overall public good; and it can sometimes undermine the role of the legislature leading to a fragmented and/or inconsistent policy environment. Taking all these and other factors into consideration is important when considering whether a state ballot initiative would be a good or a bad idea.
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.
Dane County Board of Supervisors
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rebecca Witherspoon did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 13, 2024
Current members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Leadership
Minority Leader:Greta Neubauer
Representatives
District 1
Joel Kitchens (R)
District 2
Shae Sortwell (R)
District 3
Ron Tusler (R)
District 4
David Steffen (R)
District 5
Joy Goeben (R)
District 6
Elijah Behnke (R)
District 7
Karen Kirsch (D)
District 8
District 9
Priscilla Prado (D)
District 10
Darrin Madison (D)
District 11
Sequanna Taylor (D)
District 12
Russell Goodwin (D)
District 13
Robyn Vining (D)
District 14
Angelito Tenorio (D)
District 15
Adam Neylon (R)
District 16
Kalan Haywood (D)
District 17
Supreme Omokunde (D)
District 18
Margaret Arney (D)
District 19
Ryan Clancy (D)
District 20
District 21
Jessie Rodriguez (R)
District 22
Paul Melotik (R)
District 23
Deb Andraca (D)
District 24
Daniel Knodl (R)
District 25
Paul Tittl (R)
District 26
Joe Sheehan (D)
District 27
Lindee Brill (R)
District 28
Rob Kreibich (R)
District 29
District 30
District 31
Tyler August (R)
District 32
Amanda Nedweski (R)
District 33
Robin Vos (R)
District 34
Rob Swearingen (R)
District 35
Calvin Callahan (R)
District 36
Jeffrey Mursau (R)
District 37
Mark Born (R)
District 38
District 39
Alex Dallman (R)
District 40
Karen DeSanto (D)
District 41
Tony Kurtz (R)
District 42
District 43
Brienne Brown (D)
District 44
Ann Roe (D)
District 45
Clinton Anderson (D)
District 46
Joan Fitzgerald (D)
District 47
Randy Udell (D)
District 48
Andrew Hysell (D)
District 49
Travis Tranel (R)
District 50
Jenna Jacobson (D)
District 51
Todd Novak (R)
District 52
Lee Snodgrass (D)
District 53
Dean Kaufert (R)
District 54
Lori Palmeri (D)
District 55
Nate Gustafson (R)
District 56
Dave Murphy (R)
District 57
Kevin Petersen (R)
District 58
Rick Gundrum (R)
District 59
Robert Brooks (R)
District 60
Jerry O'Connor (R)
District 61
Robert Donovan (R)
District 62
Angelina Cruz (D)
District 63
Robert Wittke (R)
District 64
Tip McGuire (D)
District 65
Ben DeSmidt (D)
District 66
Greta Neubauer (D)
District 67
David Armstrong (R)
District 68
Rob Summerfield (R)
District 69
Karen Hurd (R)
District 70
Nancy VanderMeer (R)
District 71
Vinnie Miresse (D)
District 72
Scott Krug (R)
District 73
Angela Stroud (D)
District 74
Chanz Green (R)
District 75
Duke Tucker (R)
District 76
Francesca Hong (D)
District 77
Renuka Mayadev (D)
District 78
Shelia Stubbs (D)
District 79
Lisa Subeck (D)
District 80
Mike Bare (D)
District 81
Alex Joers (D)
District 82
Scott Allen (R)
District 83
Dave Maxey (R)
District 84
Chuck Wichgers (R)
District 85
Patrick Snyder (R)
District 86
John Spiros (R)
District 87
Brent Jacobson (R)
District 88
District 89
Ryan Spaude (D)
District 90
District 91
Jodi Emerson (D)
District 92
Clint Moses (R)
District 93
Christian Phelps (D)
District 94
Steve Doyle (D)
District 95
Jill Billings (D)
District 96
Tara Johnson (D)
District 97
Cindi Duchow (R)
District 98
Jim Piwowarczyk (R)
District 99
Barbara Dittrich (R)
Republican Party (54)
Democratic Party (45)
