Liberal and conservative advance to general election for high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race, CNN projects

Liberal Janet Protasiewicz and conservative Daniel Kelly will advance to the general election for a pivotal Wisconsin state Supreme Court seat, CNN projected Tuesday.

The nonpartisan primary featured two liberals and two conservatives in an expensive and high-stakes contest to effectively break a deadlock between the state’s Democratic governor and Republican-controlled legislature in a key battleground state.

Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee County circuit court judge, and Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice, will now face off in the April 4 general election for a seat on a court where conservatives currently hold a 4-3 majority. Although no party labels were on the ballot, interest groups aligned, party operations mobilized and money flooded into the race as if it were a partisan campaign.

The departure of a conservative justice, Patience Roggensack, has given liberals an opportunity to seize the majority on a court that could decide on issues such as abortion, redistricting, and voting rights ahead of the 2024 presidential election.