Jenna Jacobson
{{short description|21st century American politician}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = Jenna Jacobson
|office = Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
| constituency = 50th district
| term_start = January 6, 2025
| term_end =
| predecessor = Tony Kurtz
| successor =
| constituency1 = 43rd district
| term_start1 = January 3, 2023
| term_end1 = January 6, 2025
| predecessor1 = Don Vruwink
| successor1 = Brienne Brown
| party = Democratic
| birth_name = Jennifer Shannon Imsdahl
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|2|4}}
| birth_place = Brenham, Texas, U.S.
| residence = Oregon, Wisconsin
| spouse = Kyle
| children = 3
| education = University of Wisconsin–River Falls
Purdue University (BA)
| occupation =
| website = [https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/43/jacobson/ Official website]
[https://www.jennaforassembly.com/ Campaign website]
}}
Jennifer Shannon "Jenna" Jacobson ({{nee}} Imsdahl; born February 4, 1982) is an American financial advisor and Democratic politician from Dane County, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 50th Assembly district since 2025; she previously represented the 43rd Assembly district during the 2023–2024 term.
Biography
Jenna Jacobson was born Jennifer Shannon Imsdahl in Brenham, Texas, on February 4, 1982.{{cite web|url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/legislators/assembly/2545 |title= Representative Jenna Jacobson |website= Wisconsin Legislature |accessdate= October 10, 2024 }} She was raised in Polk County, Wisconsin, and graduated in 2000 from Frederic High School, in Frederic, Wisconsin. She attended University of Wisconsin–River Falls, but transferred to Purdue University, where she completed her bachelor's degree in consumer financial planning.{{cite press release |url= https://www.wispolitics.com/2022/jacobson-campaign-jenna-jacobson-announces-for-wisconsins-43-assembly-district |title= Jacobson campaign: Jenna Jacobson announces run for Wisconsin’s 43 Assembly District |work= Jenna Jacobson for State Assembly |accessdate= December 5, 2022 }} While attending school in River Falls, she worked as a teller at the WESTconsin Credit Union. After transferring to Purdue, she worked for the Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union as a financial advisor.
In 2013, she moved back to Wisconsin with her family and settled in the village of Oregon, Wisconsin, in southern Dane County. She worked for several years as an analyst at the CUNA Mutual Group corporate headquarters and she is a long-time volunteer financial literacy coach. But she currently identifies as a stay-at-home mom.{{cite news|url= https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/candidate-q-a-assembly-district-43-democratic-primary/article_62afe6e1-1213-5fd9-9fc3-a214aa2cd903.html |title= Candidate Q&A: Assembly District 43 Democratic Primary |date= July 16, 2022 |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |accessdate= December 5, 2022 }}
==Political career==
In 2017, she ran for and was elected to the Oregon village board, and was re-elected in 2019. Her term ended when she ran unsuccessfully for village president in 2021,{{cite report|url= https://elections.countyofdane.com/Precincts-Result/130/0079 |title= 2021 Spring Election - Oregon Village President - Official Canvass |publisher= Dane County Clerk |accessdate= December 5, 2022 }} but she was returned to the village board in the 2022 Spring election.{{cite news|url= https://www.oregonobserver.com/news/village-of-oregon-trustee-jenna-jacobson-announces-candidacy-for-state-assembly/article_f60d513a-c256-11ec-ba92-ffdd50eaf48f.html |title= Village of Oregon trustee Jenna Jacobson announces candidacy for State Assembly |first= Tara |last= Jones |date= April 22, 2022 |newspaper= The Oregon Observer |accessdate= December 5, 2022 }}
She has been active with the Oregon Housing Coalition, which seeks to bring affordable housing to Oregon, and, in early 2022, worked briefly for the Dane County government as a housing specialist. She was also appointed to the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy and Capability.
The 2022 redistricting, carried out by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, moved incumbent representative Don Vruwink into the 33rd Assembly district, creating a vacancy in the 43rd district which he had represented since 2017. Jacobson decided to enter the race for the Democratic nomination in the new 43rd district. At the time, the 43rd district comprised areas of southeast Dane County and north and central Rock County, stretching from the suburbs of Janesville to the suburbs of Madison. In the Democratic primary, Jacobson soundly defeated former Edgerton, Wisconsin, mayor Matt McIntyre.{{cite report|url= https://elections.wi.gov/media/16386/download |title= Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 |publisher= Wisconsin Elections Commission |date= August 26, 2022 |access-date= December 4, 2022 | page= 40 }} She went on to win the general election with 62% of the vote.{{cite report|url= https://elections.wi.gov/media/18161/download |title= Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 |publisher= Wisconsin Elections Commission |date= November 21, 2022 |access-date= December 4, 2022 | page= 18 }} She took office on January 3, 2023{{Cite news|url=https://www.stoughtonnews.com/news/government/jacobson-sworn-in-as-43rd-assembly-district-representative/article_9ec2acbc-bdbf-11ed-8b25-b3f03abb042c.html |title=Jacobson sworn in as 43rd Assembly District representative |date= March 8, 2023 |work= Stoughton Courier Hub |accessdate= November 1, 2024 |language=en}}
Following the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, the Wisconsin Supreme Court took up redistricting again and struck down the 2022 map, compelling the Legislature to adopt a new map in early 2024. Jacobson was significantly affected by the change, with her home, Oregon, moving from the 43rd Assembly district to the 50th Assembly district—almost none of the territory she had previously represented moved with her into her new district. Her new district comprises areas of southwest Dane County and all of neighboring Green County. In the 2024 election, Jaobson faces Republican Richard Johnson of Green County.{{cite news|url= https://themonroetimes.com/local-news/who-and-what-is-on-the-ballot/ |title= Who — and what — is on the ballot? |work= The Platteville Journal |via=The Monroe Times |date= October 30, 2024 |first= Steve |last= Prestegard |accessdate= November 1, 2024 }}
Personal life and family
Jenna Imsdahl took the name Jacobson when she married her husband, Kyle Jacobson. The Jacobsons met when they were students at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. They live in Oregon, Wisconsin, with their three children.{{cite web|url= https://www.jennaforassembly.com/meet-jenna |title= Meet Jenna |website= Jenna Jacobson for State Assembly |accessdate= December 5, 2022 }}
Electoral history
=Oregon Village President (2021)=
{{Election box begin | title= Oregon, Wisconsin, Village President Election, 2021 }}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Nonpartisan Primary, February 16, 2021 (top two){{cite report|url= https://elections.countyofdane.com/Precincts-Result/127/0027 |title= 2021 Spring Primary - Oregon Village President - Official Canvass |publisher= Dane County Clerk |accessdate= December 5, 2022 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Randy Glysch
|votes = 813
|percentage = 53.00%
|change =
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Jenna Jacobson
|votes = 416
|percentage = 27.12%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Jerry Bollig
|votes = 301
|percentage = 19.62%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = Scattering
|votes = 4
|percentage = 0.26%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 1,534
|percentage = 100.0%
|change =
}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 6, 2021
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Randy Glysch
|votes = 1,668
|percentage = 63.42%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Jenna Jacobson
|votes = 946
|percentage = 35.97%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = Scattering
|votes = 16
|percentage = 0.61%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 722
|percentage = 27.45%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 2,630
|percentage = 100.0%
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=Wisconsin Assembly, 43rd district (2022)=
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Election !Date ! colspan="4" |Elected ! colspan="4" |Defeated !Total !Plurality |
| rowspan="2" valign="top" |2022
| valign="top" |Primary{{cite report |url=https://elections.wi.gov/media/16386/download |title=Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 |date=August 26, 2022 |publisher=Wisconsin Elections Commission |page=40 |access-date=October 17, 2024}} | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Aug. 9}} | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Jenna Jacobson}} | valign="top" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic | align="right" valign="top" |6,015 | align="right" valign="top" |82.73% | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Matt McIntyre}} | valign="top" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Dem. | align="right" valign="top" |1,251 | align="right" valign="top" |17.21% | align="right" valign="top" |7,271 | align="right" valign="top" |4,764 |
|---|
| valign="top" |General{{cite report |url=https://elections.wi.gov/media/18161/download |title=Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 |date=November 21, 2022 |publisher=Wisconsin Elections Commission |page=18 |access-date=October 17, 2024}}
| valign="top" |{{nowrap|Nov. 8}} | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Jenna Jacobson}} | valign="top" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic | align="right" valign="top" |19,681 | align="right" valign="top" |62.26% | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Marisa Voelkel}} | valign="top" {{Party shading/Republican}} |Rep. | align="right" valign="top" |11,903 | align="right" valign="top" |37.66% | align="right" valign="top" |31,610 | align="right" valign="top" |7,778 |
= Wisconsin Assembly, 50th district (2024) =
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Election !Date ! colspan="4" |Elected ! colspan="4" |Defeated !Total !Plurality |
| valign="top" |2024
| valign="top" |General{{cite report|url= https://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/County%20by%20County%20Report_Assembly.pdf |title= County by County Report - 2024 General Election |date= November 27, 2024 |publisher= Wisconsin Elections Commission |page= 50 |accessdate= November 30, 2024 }} | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Nov. 5}} | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Jenna Jacobson}} | valign="top" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic | align="right" valign="top" |20,418 | align="right" valign="top" |56.27% | valign="top" |{{nowrap|Rich Johnson}} | valign="top" {{Party shading/Republican}} |Rep. | align="right" valign="top" |15,841 | align="right" valign="top" |43.66% | align="right" valign="top" |36,286 | align="right" valign="top" |4,577 |
|---|
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.jennaforassembly.com/ Campaign website]
- {{Ballotpedia|Jenna_Jacobson}}
- [https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/43/jacobson/ Official website]
- [https://wisconsinvote.org/candidate/jenna-jacobson/ Jenna Jacobson] at Wisconsin Vote
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-wi-hs}}
{{s-bef|before = Don Vruwink }}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nobreak|from the 43rd district}} |years= January 3, 2023{{spaced ndash}}January 6, 2025 }}
{{s-aft|after = Brienne Brown }}
{{s-bef|before = Tony Kurtz }}
{{s-ttl|title = {{nobreak|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nobreak|from the 50th district}} |years= January 6, 2025{{spaced ndash}}present }}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{Wisconsin State Assembly}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Jenna S.}}
Category:People from Polk County, Wisconsin
Category:People from Oregon, Wisconsin
Category:Politicians from Dane County, Wisconsin
Category:Purdue University alumni
Category:Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Category:Women state legislators in Wisconsin