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Will Longwitz

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Will Longwitz
Image of Will Longwitz
Madison County Court
Tenure
Present officeholder
Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2016

Appointed

January 19, 2016

Education

Bachelor's

Georgetown University

Law

University of Mississippi Law Center

William "Will" Longwitz was a judge on the Madison County Court in Mississippi. He was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant (R) on January 19, 2016, and his appointment was effective the following day.[1] Longwitz was defeated in his bid for election to his seat on November 8, 2016.

Longwitz was a Republican member of the Mississippi State Senate, representing District 25 from 2012 to 2016.

Biography

Longwitz is a graduate of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Georgetown University and the University of Mississippi Law School. His professional experience includes working as a practicing attorney, federal civil prosecutor, and state attorney. Following Hurricane Katrina, he served on Governor Haley Barbour’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal.[2]

Committee assignments

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Longwitz served on the following committees:

Mississippi committee assignments, 2015
Constitution, Vice Chair
Business and Financial Institutions
County Affairs
Ethics
Finance
Insurance
Judiciary, Division A

2012-2013

In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Longwitz served on the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Campaign themes

2011

Longwitz's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[3]

  • Fix the Budget Process: "Mississippi's budgeting process is broken, and we have a real chance to fix it. Will believes the state should be required to budget just like everybody else."
  • Protect Taxpayers: "We must keep the burden of debt off our children's backs. Our state is currently $4 billion in debt, and we pay about $1 million per day in principal and interest payments. Will Longwitz will make tough and fiscally prudent decisions instead of passing the burden onto citizens in the form of higher taxes."
  • Strong Schools: "An educated and well-trained workforce is an investment in prosperity and growth. Will believes education spending must always be accompanied by measurable results. We owe it to ourselves and we owe it to our kids to get them the results we pay for."
  • Protecting Life: "Mississippi has been rated one of the safest places in the nation for unborn children. While we have made great strides, there is more to do. We have a religious and moral obligation to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us."
  • Second Amendment: "The United States Constitution protects the rights of its citizens to keep and bear arms. The U.S. Supreme court recently affirmed this individual right, but opponents will continue to try and erode these freedoms. Public safety and the rule of law require that our lawmakers stand up for gun ownership rights."
  • Workforce Training: "Mississippians need to be trained with the skills to compete for good new jobs. If we build on our existing network of employers, community colleges and other resources, we can create a steady stream of ready-to-hire, productive workers in manufacturing, agriculture, health care, energy, technology and other industries."
  • Immigration and State Sovereignty: "The federal government refuses to adequately protect our borders, but the Obama administration sues states when they try to enforce immigration laws. Then taxpayers bear the burden of providing public services for people who do not pay their share into the system. Only a serious state and federal commitment to immigration enforcement can fix this cycle."
  • Energy: "Mississippi is poised to be an energy leader. Oil and gas are a major part of Mississippi's economy and a major source of jobs. We must encourage and expand production and exploration. Mississippi can lead the nation in the cutting-edge field of biofuel research and production. We must encourage innovation and job growth in this exciting energy sector."

Elections

2016

See also: Mississippi local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Mississippi held special elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 6, 2016.[4] Staci O'Neal defeated incumbent Will Longwitz in the Madison County Court general election.[5]

Madison County Court, General Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Staci O'Neal 56.09% 26,383
Will Longwitz Incumbent 43.91% 20,651
Total Votes 47,034
Source: Mississippi Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Results," November 8, 2016

2015

See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2015

Elections for the Mississippi State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on August 4, 2015, and the general election was held on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 27, 2015.[6] No Democratic candidates filed for election. Incumbent Will Longwitz defeated William Billingsley in the Republican primary. Longwitz ran unchallenged in the District 25 general election.

Mississippi State Senate, District 25 Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngWill Longwitz Incumbent 70.7% 8,971
William Billingsley 29.3% 3,709
Total Votes 12,680

2011

See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2011

Longwitz won the 2011 election for Mississippi Senate District 25. He defeated Sean Corcoran in the primary on August 2, 2011, and defeated Charles Barbour in a runoff primary election on August 23, 2011. Longwtiz defeated Cecilia Sampayo, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the general election on November 8, 2011.[7][8][9][10]

Mississippi State Senate, District 25 General Election, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Longwitz 73.7% 18,284
     Democratic Cecilia Sampayo 26.3% 6,540
Total Votes 24,824

Campaign finance summary

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Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Mississippi

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Mississippi scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.











2015

In 2015, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 6 through April 2.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2014

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Longwitz and his wife, Leigh Ann, have two daughters.[2]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Will Longwitz Mississippi judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Walter Michel (R)
Mississippi State Senate District 25
2012–2016
Succeeded by
Walter Michel (R)