Remember, today is the big judicial election for the seat on the Wisconsin supreme court. An incumbent Republican is defending his seat against a Democratic challenger. Well, actually it's a "nonpartisan" election, so nudge nudge wink wink and all that, but that's the deal. The conservatives on the bench hold a 5-4 advantage, so a win by the liberal would reverse that balance of power, with presumed decisions on Governor Scott Walker's "repair bill" on the way.
From the AP:
MILWAUKEE ? Wisconsin's Supreme Court race could come down to one factor: whether voters in Republican parts of the state can match the passion of voters in the Democratic strongholds of Dane and Milwaukee counties.City clerks in Madison and Milwaukee say voting interest has been remarkably high in a race Democrats have tried to turn into a referendum on a polarizing union-rights law pushed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Madison's city clerk predicted voter turnout of 60 percent, an unheard-of level for an April ballot.
Such trends would seem to favor the challenger, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, who has presented herself as a left-leaning alternative to incumbent Justice David Prosser. For the conservative Prosser to win a second, full 10-year term, he'll likely need strong turnouts in traditionally Republican counties.
Incumbent justices typically have a large advantage over their generally lesser-known opponents. However, Democrats have tried to tap into the anger and discontent that flooded Madison in February and March as Walker pushed his plan to strip most public workers of nearly all their collective bargaining rights.
It's been an usually high-profile race, which I've followed a bit from a distance. There've been televised debates, and a recent controversy over a third-party ad made against Prosser for his decision not to prosecute a Catholic priest back when he was a local prosecutor. The priest was later convicted of molesting two young brothers. But one of the brothers says now that he backs Prosser's decision not to prosecute. Kloppenburg has refused to denounce the ad. I'd say the ad sounds pretty scuzzy on the face of things. Any of you living out there, has this been a big issue, or just more noise?
As a rule of thumb, incumbent judges are difficult to beat, and I suspect it may be difficult for the anti-Walker forces to make a straight "a vote for Prosser is a vote for Walker" argument. Like all off election, it depends on turnout.
Overall, even though there are no more protests right now, things haven't really calmed down in Wisconsin. In fact Democratic recall drives against GOP state senators seem to be picking up a little steam. This is one of those rare situations that will not just fade away, at least for a pretty long time, methinks.
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