Tom Weatherston
American Republican politician, former member of the Wisconsin Assembly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tom Weatherston (born February 15, 1950) is an American industrial engineer and Republican politician. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2013 through 2019, representing the northern half of Racine County.[1][2]
Thomas Weatherston | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 62nd district | |
| In office January 7, 2013 – January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Cory Mason |
| Succeeded by | Robert Wittke |
| Member of the Caledonia, Wisconsin Board of Trustees | |
| Assumed office April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jay Benkowski |
| In office 2010–2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 15, 1950 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | April |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Erie Community College Buffalo State College |
| Profession | Engineer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1968–1972 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Early life
Born in Buffalo, New York, Weatherston served in the United States Air Force as a civil engineer and was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He went to Erie Community College, where he received an associate degree. He then graduated from Buffalo State College, where he received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. In 1977, Weatherston was hired by the Modine Manufacturing Company and moved to Racine, Wisconsin.
Political career
In 2010, Weatherston was elected to the Caledonia, Wisconsin, Village Board of Trustees and served until 2013.
In November 2012, Weatherston was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in the newly redrawn 62nd Assembly District.[3] He won re-election in 2014 and 2016 without opposition.
In 2017, Weatherston spearheaded the law proposal American Laws for American Courts banning Sharia in Wisconsin.[4] It was criticised by the president of NAML, Asifa Quraishi-Landes, through statement "They see any acknowledgment of Sharia in American Muslim life as a first step to the Trojan Horse."
In April 2018, Weatherston announced that he would not seek re-election to a 4th term.[5]
He instead ran to rejoin the Caledonia Village Board of Trustees in 2019. He defeated incumbent trustee Jay Benkowski in the April 2, 2019, spring general election.[6][7][8]
Weatherston is a member of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 767 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10301.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Election[9] | |||||
| Republican | Tom Weatherston | 5,775 | 76.88% | ||
| Democratic | Melissa Lemke | 1,202 | 16.00% | ||
| Democratic | Randy Bryce | 522 | 6.95% | ||
| Write-ins | 27 | 0.09% | |||
| Total votes | '1,039' | '100.0%' | |||
| General Election[10] | |||||
| Republican | Tom Weatherston | 17,045 | 53.05% | ||
| Democratic | Melissa Lemke | 15,054 | 46.85% | ||
| Write-ins | 31 | 0.10% | |||
| Total votes | '32,130' | '100.0%' | +65.29% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Election | |||||
| Republican | Tom Weatherston | 4,093 | 98.94% | ||
| Write-ins | 44 | 1.06% | |||
| Total votes | '4,137' | '100.0%' | |||
| General Election | |||||
| Republican | Tom Weatherston | 18,761 | 97.61% | ||
| Write-ins | 460 | 2.39% | |||
| Total votes | '19,221' | '100.0%' | -40.18% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Election | |||||
| Republican | Tom Weatherston | 5,209 | 99.77% | ||
| Write-ins | 12 | 0.23% | |||
| Total votes | '5,221' | '100.0%' | |||
| General Election | |||||
| Republican | Tom Weatherston | 22,523 | 100.0% | ||
| Total votes | '22,523' | '100.0%' | +17.18% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 2, 2019 | |||||
| Independent | Tom Weatherston | 2,554 | 51.08% | ||
| Independent | Jay Benkowski (incumbent) | 2,434 | 48.68% | ||
| Write-ins | 12 | 0.24% | |||
| Total votes | '5,000' | '100.0%' | |||