Cannabis Profile: William Penterman (R)
William Penterman Secures Re-Election After Moving to a Safer District Under New Legislative Maps
With the implementation of Wisconsin’s new legislative maps, Representative William Penterman (R-Columbus) secured re-election to the State Assembly by relocating to a district that is safer for Republicans. The strategic move allowed him to maintain representation for much of his previous constituency while ensuring a stronger partisan advantage in the redrawn district.
Who? What?
Penterman first rose to prominence in 2021 when he won an eight-way Republican primary for the Assembly District 37 seat by an astonishingly slim margin of just 16 votes—less than 20% of the total vote. The victory, followed by a narrow general election win, highlighted both his grassroots connections and the challenges of competing in a crowded field.
A graduate of Ripon College, Penterman has long been involved in conservative activism. During his time at Ripon, he founded the college’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom. Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) is a conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960 as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians on American college campuses, dedicated to advancing principles of limited government and free enterprise.
I will be honest, I do not know much about YAF or their stance, or evolving stance on cannabis reform. I did a quick search of their website with no luck. There was an old NORML blog from 2010 that mentioned the organization and it’s libertarian views on marijuana, but Penterman has hardly shown the same amount of high enthusiasm for ending prohibition.
I keep digging and uncover more information in my research for voters — and it looks as if Mr. Penterman did, in fact, fill out a questionnaire along the way, just not one from a cannabis organization and he answered the marijuana reform question. I found this information on ivoterguide.com (link to Penterman Profile). Note, the ivoterguide says responses are entered electronically by the candidate and are listed verbatim.
Under Other Important Issues in the profile that the candidate or candidates campaign completed we have our answer:
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana. Penterman says: Disagree
On Oct 12th, 2022 Penterman participated in an AAUW Candidate Forum and gave his opinions on the issue. It is best to watch this guy rather than have me translate his opposition statement.
Assembly Bill 1040 was submitted very late at the end of the 2024 session. This effort is controlled by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and had been conducted behind closed doors within the GOP Caucus, without public involvement, and purposely excluding the Democrats. It appears that Rep. Vos also left out the Republican Senators in his quest for PR spin on the topic. It also appears that Robin Vos is not open to any amendments on his bill.
Although William Penterman was pictured standing next the local co-sponsor of the bill during the release and press conference, he did not ultimately co-sponsor the measure. Other news reports also painted the same picture, known prohibitionists standing besides co-sponsors of the most controversial medical cannabis bill written by Wisconsin Republicans to date.
On the move
The 2024 redistricting posed significant challenges for incumbents across the state, with Penterman’s old district becoming less favorable for Republicans. In response, he announced his decision to move to a newly drawn, GOP-safe district that allowed him to retain ties with most of his former voters. This calculated shift reflects both his adaptability and the evolving strategies of Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin.
Penterman was right on his move, because in the Fall 2024 election his old district of the 42nd Assembly was won by Democrat Maureen McCarville by a significant margin.
Penterman’s tenure in the Assembly has been marked by his staunch opposition to cannabis reform, drawing criticism from advocates like myself, who has accused him of prioritizing partisan politics over pragmatic solutions. Despite these critiques, Penterman has emphasized his commitment to economic development, veterans’ issues, and fiscal conservatism, themes that have resonated with his constituents.
Where in Wisconsin?
The 38th Assembly district of Wisconsin is located in south-central Wisconsin, the district comprises parts of southern Dodge County and northern Jefferson County. It includes the cities of Watertown, Jefferson, Juneau, and Horicon, and the villages of Clyman, Hustisford, Iron Ridge, Johnson Creek, Lowell, and Reeseville.
The 38th Assembly district is located within Wisconsin’s 13th Senate district, along with the 37th and 39th Assembly districts.
More background on William Penterman:
He was born and raised in Wisconsin. He grew up on a small dairy farm.
November of 2015, William answered the call to serve his country in the United States Army. He served in the Military Police Corps for 4 years, and continues to serve in the Army Reserve today.
William served as Legislative Assistant in the Wisconsin State Assembly before moving up to Research Assistant in 2020. During the Wisconsin election investigation following the 2020 Presidential election, William served as Committee Clerk for the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections. As committee clerk, William facilitated the December 11th election investigation hearing at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
ivoterguide info: Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not? Racism is sin, and all sin is a threat to the hearts and souls of all humankind. It is impossible to stop all sins. Human nature is inherently corrupt.
Fact Sheets links on the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network can be used by constituents in the district should William Penterman want to a look at marijuana reform as an issue. I would use some fact sheets from Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) since he has military police background. I would also use a couple fact sheets from NORML, the piece on Marijuana and Veterans Issues as well as the piece on the impact of legalization health, safety and the economy.
Penterman may not even know the racist history of marijuana prohibition. He may not know about the continued discrimination associated with these outdated laws. Or maybe he does and is proud of it?
