Wisconsin Supreme Court Election to Pit Liberal Against Conservative

A conservative and a liberal will face off in April’s election for a seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, a contest that will determine the ideological balance of the court and could change the political trajectory of the crucial swing state.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, the liberal, took a decisive lead among the four candidates in the high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court primary race and was declared an early winner by the Associated Press on Tuesday less than an hour after polls closed. Daniel Kelly, a conservative who filled a vacancy on the state Supreme Court from 2016 to 2020, was declared the second-place finisher by the Associated Press later in the evening.

The two top vote-getters will advance to the general election in April and a fight for the vacant seat on the court with its 10-year term. Judge Jennifer Dorow, the conservative chief judge of the Third Judicial District, and Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell, a liberal, were defeated.