Courtesy of Jessica Paige Katzenmeyer
Last November, when Jessica Paige Katzenmeyer ran her first political race against Republican incumbent Joe Sanfilippo for the District 15 State Assembly seat, she garnered 45.2 % of the vote. The percentage was even higher among Milwaukee County voters who cast a majority of their ballots, 50.4%, for the rookie. For her efforts she was recognized nationally, cited by Advocate magazine and LGBTQ Nation as a candidate to watch.
I recently had a catch-up conversation with Katzenmeyer, who has been riding on her campaign’s momentum ever since her 2020 election bid. Reflecting on her past run, she reiterated that her prime motivation, now as then, is her desire to help and serve all people. But Katzenmeyer, a transgender woman, especially hopes to inspire others, in particular, people of diversity and women, to follow their political aspirations.
“I’m passionate about helping those kinds of candidates. I believe we can all work together and it’s frustrating today that we can’t figure out a middle ground,” she said. At the same time, she admits it’s not an easy ideal to pursue. “Few people are trying to work together. Because Wisconsin is among the most gerrymandered states, there’s no accountability. I outraised and outworked my opponent and got national attention for it. I did everything by the book. Gerrymandering was my fate. I’m really proud I did as well as I did as a rookie candidate. It shows people can make a difference. At the end of the day it’s about the people.”
Promoting LGBTQ Rights
Meanwhile, Katzenmeyer remains politically active in the community. She is passionate about promoting LGBTQ rights, particularly the issue of conversion therapy for minors. “I was a leading activist in West Allis’ banning the practice. We’re always looking for opportunities—we’re now looking at Wauwatosa. There are more and more municipalities joining the ban. Even Superior has a ban now. But the state still refuses to,” Katenmeyer said.
On matters of public health, Katzenmeyer is deeply engaged in the debate regarding masks. “Freedoms come with responsibilities. Dealing with a contagious virus, the likes of which we’ve not seen at this level in a century, we have to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. What about other people, other students, co-workers and family? Your actions affect them. The decision is based on that, not the individual. Our actions affect others,” Katzenmeyer said.
Meanwhile, the City of West Allis appointed her to its Plan Commission, a position she will hold for a three-year term. Her upcoming calendar also includes a speaking engagement at the American Case Management Association (ACMA) Regional Conference in Milwaukee on October 5.
Future Ambitions?
The details of her ACMA presentation, “Transgender Cultural Awareness for Healthcare Providers”, brought us back to the conversation about politics and her plans for the future. Having followed her campaign on social media at the time, I asked Katzenmeyer how she endured the blatant and virulent transphobic attacks perpetrated against her by her opponent’s constituents. I asked if they affected her future political ambitions.
Her reply was upbeat. “They always go low. Last year I got attacked a lot as a trans person. I don’t pay attention to that. Anyone can run and win. Danica Roem, a transgender woman, ran successfully for state office in Virginia. I have a very motivated team right now. An opposition candidate can attack me personally, but I’ll come back and I’ll argue issues. People who attack candidates based on a personal issue, are themselves weak and have nothing better to offer,” Katzenmeyer said.
She then told me an anecdote from her November run: “Near the end of the campaign, I found out about a constituent who had health issues and had just turned 18. The election would be the first she could vote in. I was known as a health care candidate. I had a health care story of an $80k bill after an emergency hospital stay. It was one of the reasons I ran to begin with. As it turned out, I was the first person she ever voted for. That was incredibly moving for me. I gave her an autographed campaign sign as a memento of the occasion. This is the reason why I am in politics.”
As for her political future, Katzenmeyer recalled her concession speech, “I said, ‘I promise to be back.” I will be. I am very excited about my political future and people will find out about that soon. I was quite impressed by what I nearly accomplished last year running. Even the other side noticed my accomplishments. I want to continue to stay in politics because I know the impact I can have. I have a following and I hope to inspire more. I’ve always wanted to serve and help people at this level. I would represent everyone.”
