Liberal-Backed Protasiewicz Projected Winner In WI Supreme Court Race

WISCONSIN — Major outlets have slated liberal-backed Janet Protasiewicz as the projected winner in the race for Wisconsin's supreme court, including The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The New York Times.

The candidates were exceedingly different in what WisPolitics.com figured to be the most expensive judicial race in the country's history. Dan Kelly, a former Republican-appointed member of the state supreme court, faced off against Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz.

By 10 p.m., Kelly conceded the election with a fiery statement claiming his competitor made her campaign about "serial lies, and a blatant disregard for judicial ethics and the integrity of the court," according to a Tweet from CBS 58 reporter A.J. Bayatpour.

"I wish Wisconsin the best of luck," said Kelly. "I think it will need it."

A loss for Kelly Tuesday would be his second rejection from Wisconsin voters in recent years. In 2020, he was defeated by liberal-backed Jill Karofsky in a tumultuous early-pandemic election for the court.

Protasiewicz is set to become one of seven Wisconsin Supreme Court justices tasked with decisions impacting every resident in the state. With a win from Protasiewicz, the balance of the court's liberal vs. conservative majority flips to 4-3, a report by the Associated Press noted.

A slate of hot-button issues that the candidates may be deciding on in the future were on the line, such as Wisconsin's 1849 criminal abortion ban or how to fairly redistrict legislative maps.

Here are the unofficial results in Wisconsin's race for the supreme court:

Unofficial results via The New York Times and Associated Press. Last updated 10:50 p.m. 89 percent reported.

Janet Protasiewicz: 943,862

Dan Kelly: 772,116

Unlike justices serving on the U.S. Supreme Court, who are appointed into a lifetime membership, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices must be elected by voters across the state every 10 years.

Both Kelly and Protasiewicz led campaigns that focused on defending Wisconsin's constitutional rights. On his campaign website, Kelly argued that rights were "under attack from all sides" and asserted he would help the court be "a bulwark against judicial activism."

Protasiewicz's campaign also argued that our rights are in the balance.

"You can read the constitution, the statutes, and case law, and know what to expect," wrote Protasiewicz on her website, "but as we can see on an almost-daily basis, our most closely-held constitutional rights are under attack by radical right-wing extremists."