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Angelito Tenorio (born June 30, 1996) is a Filipino American campaign organizer, educator, and Democratic politician from West Allis, Wisconsin. He is a member-elect of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and will represent Wisconsin's 14th Assembly district in the 2025–2026 term. He previously served as a member of the West Allis City Council.

Early life and education

Angelito Tenorio was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1996. He was raised, educated, and lived most of his life in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin. He graduated from Marquette University High School in 2014, and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He graduated early, earning his bachelor's degree in political science and government in 2017. While attending college, he also enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and served from 2015 to 2018.

Political career

Tenorio made his first bid for elected office in 2016, while still attending college in Madison. He sought a seat on the Board of Supervisors of Dane County, Wisconsin. He ran in the 5th County board district, which then comprised most of the University of Wisconsin campus. He lost the election to recent UW graduate Hayley Young.

After college, Tenorio took a short-term fellowship in the office of U.S. representative Karen Bass (D–CA), then returned to the Milwaukee area to work. In 2018, he joined the campaign staff of Tom Palzewicz, who was running for election to Congress in Wisconsin's 5th congressional district. After the election, Tenorio went to work for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

In 2019, Tenorio launched another bid for elected office, running for a seat on the West Allis City Council. Tenorio won a seat in the April 2020 election, and served two years on the City Council, representing the 1st district alongside Vincent Vitale.

Shortly after winning his election, he became active in the 2020 United States presidential election as a co-chair of Wisconsin Asian American Pacific Islanders for Joe Biden, and simultaneously became chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus.

In April 2021, incumbent Wisconsin State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski announced she would seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2022, and would therefore not run for re-election as Treasurer. Tenorio announced in July 2021 that he would seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Godlewski as Treasurer. Later that year, Tenorio marched in the Waukesha, Wisconsin, parade just before a driver intentionally drove his car into the parade crowd killing six people. Ultimately two other candidates entered the Democratic race for state treasurer, Fitchburg mayor Aaron Richardson and physician Gillian Battino. Tenorio came in 3rd place in the primary, receiving 25% of the vote.

After the 2022 primary, Tenorio resigned from the City Council and moved to Connecticut with his partner to pursue his master's degree at Fairfield University. While there, he took a job with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, Connecticut, then served briefly as development director for the New Leaders Council from June 2023 to October 2023. At that time, he took a job as a paraprofessional teacher for Hamden Public Schools in Hamden, Connecticut.

He returned to the Milwaukee area in the spring of 2024, going to work as a teacher at Tiny Green Trees, a nature-based childcare program. Almost as soon as he returned to West Allis, he returned to politics, entering the race for Wisconsin State Assembly in the 14th Assembly district. The 14th Assembly district had been significantly reshaped by the 2024 redistricting act, which had replaced the decade-old Republican legislative gerrymander. Previously, the district had packed the most Democratic wards of Wauwatosa and West Allis into a single snake-shaped district, running from northwest Wauwatosa to southeast West Allis. The new district instead shifted into West Allis, comprising nearly the entire city along with a parts of western Milwaukee. The previous 14th district incumbent, Robyn Vining, was drawn out of the district, leaving an open seat. Ultimately two other candidates sought the Democratic nomination in the new Democratic-leaning seat: union leader Nathan Kieso of West Allis and youth organizer Brady Coulthard of Milwaukee. Tenorio won the primary, finishing 214 votes ahead of Kieso. He went on to win the general election by a healthy margin, defeating perennial candidates Jim Engstrand and Steven Shevey. Tenorio will take office in the Assembly in January 2025.

In the fall of 2024, Tenorio also began working as a teaching assistant at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Personal life and family

Angelito Tenorio is the son of two Filipino American immigrants. Both of his parents were union letter carriers for the United States Postal Service.

Electoral history

Dane County Board (2016)

West Allis Common Council (2020)

Wisconsin Treasurer (2022)

Wisconsin Assembly (2024)

References

1. ^ "Meet Angelito". Angelito for Assembly. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
2. "Candidate Profile - Angelito Tenorio". Ballot Ready. 5 November 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
3. "Only four of 37 Dane County Board seats to be contested in April election". The Capital Times. January 13, 2016. p. 20. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ 2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote - County Supervisor DISTRICT 5 - Votes by Precinct (Report). Office of the Clerk of Dane County, Wisconsin. April 5, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
5. Hughes, Elliot; Dohr, Bob (January 8, 2020). "Here are all the candidates running for office in Milwaukee's southwest suburbs". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
6. Yam, Kimmy (July 20, 2020). "250 Asian American and Pacific Islander elected officials, leaders announce Biden endorsement". NBC News. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
7. Tenorio, Angelito (July 15, 2021). "West Allis Alderman Angelito Tenorio Announces Candidacy for Wisconsin State Treasurer". Angelito for Wisconsin (Press release). Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Urban Milwaukee.
8. "Wisconsin: Five dead after car ploughs into Waukesha Christmas parade". BBC. November 22, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
9. Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. p. 4. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
10. Dohr, Bob (October 20, 2022). "West Allis Alderman Angelito Tenorio resigning from the common council midway through his first term". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
11. "Angelito Tenorio". New Leaders Council. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
12. ^ Tenorio, Angelito (April 29, 2024). "Former West Allis Alderman Angelito Tenorio Considering Run for Wisconsin State Assembly". Angelito for Wisconsin (Press release). Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Urban Milwaukee.
13. "14th Assembly District". Wisconsin State Journal. June 11, 2024. p. A5. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Muchnick, Kathryn (August 9, 2024). "Meet the 14th Assembly District candidates in the Democratic primary in Tuesday's election". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
15. ^ County by County Report - 2024 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2024. p. 14. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
16. ^ County by County Report - 2024 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 27, 2024. p. 14. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
17. Unofficial Results, Spring Election - April 7, 2020 (Report). Milwaukee County Elections Commission. April 7, 2020. p. 1. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
18. Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. p. 4. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

• 1996 births
• Living people
• Politicians from Milwaukee
• People from West Allis, Wisconsin
• Marquette University High School alumni
• University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
• University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
• Wisconsin National Guard personnel
• Wisconsin city council members
• Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• American politicians of Filipino descent
• 21st-century American educators
• 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature