Democrat Janet Protasiewicz has secured a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court over Republican Daniel Kelly, NBC News projected on Tuesday night.
The news outlet projected the Milwaukee County circuit court judge’s victory roughly an hour after polls closed, calling the race with 60 percent of the votes counted. By 1000 p.m. ET, Protasiewicz was leading former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Kelly 57 percent to 43 percent.
BREAKING: Janet Protasiewicz wins Wisconsin Supreme Court election, NBC News projects, giving liberals control of the high court for the first time in 15 years. https://t.co/T1ymkJnIL5 pic.twitter.com/F773Jss2dk
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 5, 2023
Protasiewicz’s victory will give liberals control over the state’s high court for the first time in 15 years, shattering the court’s current fragile 4-3 conservative majority.
Protasiewicz notably leaned into her left-wing worldview while campaigning, decrying the state’s election maps as “rigged” and accusing the U.S. Supreme Court of “incorrectly” deciding the Dobbs decision. Her victory means she will likely get to weigh in on a challenge to the state’s 1849 abortion ban, which went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“I can tell you with certainty that if I’m elected on April 4th, I’m sure that we will be looking — I am sure we will be looking — at that 1849 law,” Protasiewicz said at a campaign stop in March, adding that she “believe[s] in a woman’s right to choose.”
The results of the election could also impact how lawmakers redraw the state’s legislative districts ahead of the 2024 presidential election, as well as parents’ rights, Second Amendment rights, and religious liberty.
The race ended up being the most the most expensive state judicial race in American history, topping at least $42 million — nearly triple the previous national record for a court race, according to the Associated Press.
“As of Monday, Protasiewicz and her backers have spent about $23.3 million compared with about $17.6 million for Kelly and his supporters, according to a report from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign spending,” according to the report.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin transferred millions of dollars to Protasiewicz’s campaign after receiving millions in donations from out-of-state billionaires like George Soros and J.B. Pritzker. She was also endorsed by Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups.
