Liberal Protasiewicz and Conservative Kelly to Face Off in Election to Decide Control of Wisconsin Supreme Court

The candidates in the election to decide ideological control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court are set, as liberal Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, a conservative, advanced in Tuesday’s primary election.

With all but 14 percent of Wisconsin precincts reporting, Protasiewicz had tallied 46.4 percent of the vote, while Kelly claimed 24.4 percent. Kelly held a narrow but decisive lead over third-place finisher and fellow conservative, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow, who was at about 22 percent. Liberal Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell trailed the field at about 7.5 percent of the vote.

The top two vote-getters move on to the April 4 general election.

“I’m honored we will continue on from this primary. This is just the beginning & our work is far from over,” Protasiewicz tweeted Tuesday evening after being the first of the candidates to be declared victorious. “I’m counting on all of you to continue the momentum all the way thru April 4– there’s too much at stake in this election for us to take anything for granted.”

Kelly, who was appointed to the bench in 2016 by then-Republican Governor Scott Walker, lost his bid for a full 10-year term in 2020 to liberal Jill Karofsky.

In a statement, Kelly said he is grateful to his fellow Wisconsinites who, through their votes, “have reaffirmed the centrality of our Constitution to the work of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”… (Excerpt from The Wisconsin Daily Star)