The mayoral election in Chicago today has gotten a decent amount of attention, but there’s another big election happening today.
The battle for Wisconsin Supreme Court certainly has an outsized roles compared to most judicial races. Abortion hangs in the balance.
Right now, conservatives on the bench hold a 4 to 3 majority, making their power razor thin. A win for a liberal judge would bring a tie to the two ideologies on the court. It’s become the most expensive court race in history with $45 million altogether being spent. The stakes are clearly high.
The Wisconsin GOP controlled state house is ready to enact an 1840 state abortion ban that’s already on the books. It can of course be triggered since the repeal of Roe V. Wade in the Supreme Court. Half a million people in a state of 6 million already voted, making it the highest turnout for a court race in history.
In one one corner of the ring stands former justice Daniel Kelley. He was appointed by Scott Walker but lost re-election in 2020. Having a history in the courts, he was a member of the Fedarlist Society, kind of a conservative activist judicial think tank. He almost certainly wouldn’t block the state legislature’s efforts to enact the abortion ban.
In the other corner we have Janet Protasiewicz. She was an assistant district attorney and now a family court judge. She’s been endorsed by Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, and would almost certainly block the abortion ban. She won the initial election with 46% of the vote to Kelly’s 24%.
To see who wins, it’s key to look at the two candidates eliminated. Jennifer Dorow got a close 22%, barely missing the runoff. She’s an active Republican, expect her votes to go to Kelly, putting him at 46%. But Everett Mitchell, a circuit judge, was endorsed by former Democratic Governor Jim Doyle. He got 7% of the vote. Expect his votes to head to Protasiewicz’s column, putting her over the top with 53%.
My prediction, Wisconsin’s been trending blue, slowly but surely, and Kelly has too much to catch up to. 53% Protasiewicz to 47% Kelly is my guess for tonight’s outcome. Stay tuned to see if I’m right.
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