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Margaret Arney

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Margaret Arney
Member-elect of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 18th district
Assuming office
January 6, 2025
SucceedingEvan Goyke
Member of the City Council of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 2022
Serving with John J. Dubinski (until 2024) & Brad Foley (since 2024)
Preceded byKathleen Causier
Personal details
Born
Margaret Michele Tully

(1969-06-17) June 17, 1969 (age 55)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMichael P. Arney
Children1
ResidenceWauwatosa, Wisconsin
Education
WebsiteCampaign website

Margaret Michele Arney (née Tully; born June 17, 1969) is an American nonprofit consultant, educator, and Democratic politician from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. She is a member-elect of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and will represent Wisconsin's 18th Assembly district in the 2025–2026 term. She also currently serves as a member of the city council of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, since 2022. She is Wauwatosa's first African American city councilmember.

Biography

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Margaret Arney was born Margaret Michele Tully in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in June 1969. She was raised and educated in Milwaukee, graduating from Rufus King High School in 1987. She went on to attend Harvard University, and earned her bachelor's degree in government studies in 1991. She continued her education at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, and completed her master's of social service administration in 1994.[1]

After completing her graduate studies, she remained in Chicago working for Chicago Commons until 2000, when she returned to Milwaukee. Over the next decade she worked in fundraising and market research for several local nonprofits, including the YWCA and the Milwaukee Art Museum. In 2010, she was hired by Cardinal Stritch University to administer their African American Leadership Program and remained at that job for the next decade. During those years, she also began teaching a course on social work at nearby Concordia University Wisconsin, and worked as a consultant to the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee.

Political career

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Arney made her first run for elected office in 2010, when she sought a seat on the city council of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She came in second in the nonpartisan primary and advanced to the general election,[2] but lost to Kathleen Causier by a wide margin.[3]

Arney did not run for office again until 2022. In the intervening years, Arney was active in local and civic affairs. In 2016, she was a founding member of the social justice group Tosa Together.[4] By 2022 she had become president of the Wauwatosa Neighborhood Association Council.[5]

In 2022, Kathleen Causier retired from the city council and Arney ran again to succeed her as 2nd district alderperson. This time she faced no opposition and took office in April 2022, becoming the first African American member of the Wauwatosa City Council.[5]

In 2024, Arney's state representative, Evan Goyke, was elected city attorney of Milwaukee and therefore would not run for re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2024. Arney announced in April 2024 that she would run to succeed Goyke in the 18th state Assembly district. The 18th district comprises the southeast corner of Wauwatosa along with several neighborhoods of Milwaukee's west side; it was one of only two Assembly districts left unchanged by the 2024 redistricting act. The district was heavily Democratic; Arney faced a Democratic primary against perennial candidate Angela Kennedy, but won by a substantial margin.[6][7] She went on to win a landslide in the general election, defeating Republican Kevin Anderson with 82% of the vote.[8] She is set to take office in January 2024.

Personal life and family

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Margaret Arney is a daughter of Anthony and Maria (née Delgado) Tully.[9]

Margaret Tully took the last name Arney when she married Michael Arney. They have one adult daughter.[9]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (2024)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2024 Primary[7] Aug. 13 Margaret Arney Democratic 4,238 64.92% Angela Kennedy Dem. 2,274 34.83% 6,528 1,964
General[8] Nov. 5 Margaret Arney Democratic 20,801 82.19% Kevin Anderson Rep. 4,431 17.51% 25,308 16,370

References

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  1. ^ "About". Arney for Wisconsin. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Unofficial Election Results (Report). City of Wauwatosa. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Unofficial Election Results (Report). City of Wauwatosa. April 12, 2010. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Campbell, Matt (October 6, 2016). ""Tosa Together" hopes to create more diverse, welcoming community". WTMJ-TV. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Casey, Evan (April 7, 2022). "Wauwatosa elects the first person of color in the 125-year history of the Wauwatosa Common Council". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Muchnick, Kathryn (August 9, 2024). "Meet the 18th Assembly District candidates in the Democratic primary in Tuesday's election". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b County by County Report - 2024 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2024. p. 18. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b County by County Report - 2024 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 27, 2024. p. 18. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Adelina Cruz Gatewood". The Plain Dealer. January 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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