Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate, was able to soundly secure a win against conservative-backed candidate Dan Kelly this past Tuesday in a battle that was highly important to the overall ideological balance of the entire court.
Protasiewicz, who has made absolutely no apologies about her stance supporting abortion and other liberal policies, managed to secure over 55.5% of the vote to Kelly's 44.5%. Protasiewicz was able to rack up a number of huge margins throughout urban areas such as Madison and Milwaukee while Kelly was unable to get the required turnout needed in more rural areas of the state.,
The race, which has been marked as one of the most expensive races for a court seat in history, will most likely have massive impacts on the policies established within the Badger State, including abortion, election maps, voter integrity measures, and guns. The voter ID law for the state could even be in jeopardy as a result of the election on Tuesday as Left-wing challenges could win in court.
"I feel great. I could not feel better," explained Protasiewicz to the Associated Press in the wake of her win, which resulted in liberal justices holding a 4-3 advantage for the first time in over a decade and a half. "I am surprised by the results and the magnitude of the victory here. We are absolutely delighted and thrilled."
Protasiewicz found her backing from Left-wing billionaire George Soros, Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and a number of celebrities, director Steven Spielberg and actor Mark Ruffalo. The overall spending went past the $40 million mark, a staggeringly large amount when compared to the previous years when overall spending only sat at about $10 million.
"I wish that in a circumstance like this I would be able to concede to a worthy opponent. But I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede. This was the most deeply deceitful, dishonorable, despicable campaign I have ever seen run for the courts. It was truly beneath contempt," Kelly stated after the results were made entirely clear. "My opponent is a serial liar. She has disregarded judicial ethics. She has demeaned the judiciary with her behavior. This is the future we have to look forward to in Wisconsin."
Protasiewicz has issued the promise to oppose the 1849 Wisconsin abortion law and featured a campaign ad sporting a woman celebrating an abortion because the child could have been born with a number of disabilities.
She has also been the target of heavy criticism for her record when it comes to sentencing crimes, with conservative groups claiming that she consistently gave violent criminals entirely too soft sentences. Protasiewicz claimed that this win was actually a win for "democracy" as a whole and against extremism.
"It was really about saving our democracy, getting away from extremism and having a fair and impartial court where everybody gets a fair shot in the courtroom," she stated. "That’s what it was all about."