Wisconsin has not one but two critically important elections on April 4—one deciding the balance of power on the state Supreme Court, and one deciding whether Republicans will have a supermajority in the state Senate. Those two races collided this week when Dan Knodl, the Republican state Senate nominee, said that if he’s elected he would support impeaching Judge Janet Protasiewicz, the progressive candidate for Supreme Court.
Knodl is clearly illustrating what’s at stake in his election: If he defeats Democratic candidate Jodi Habush Sinykin, Republicans will have the two-thirds majority needed to remove state officials impeached by the state assembly. That could mean not just Protasiewicz but any Democrat in state office, including Gov. Tony Evers.
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Knodl’s comments came in an appearance on WISN-TV during which he said the “Milwaukee County justice system is failing” and that its officials, including Protasiewicz, who is a judge on that circuit, “need to be looked at.” He specifically claimed Protasiewicz “has failed,” and when asked directly about impeachment said, “I certainly would consider it.”
When a Republican says during a general election campaign that they would consider doing something extreme, it is a guarantee that they would do it. (If they say they aren’t focused on the issue, there is a 90% chance they will do it. If they say they won’t do it, there is a 70% chance. These are estimates.)
Protasiewicz is running against Dan Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice who in addition to being an anti-abortion extremist, consulted for Wisconsin Republicans on election issues including the false electors scheme. Knodl, for his part, signed a letter to then-Vice President Mike Pence asking him not to certify the results of the 2020 election.
Wisconsin’s future is very much on the line in both of these races—and given Wisconsin’s status as a key battleground state, it’s possible that future presidential elections could hinge on whether the state’s legislature and courts were committed to upholding the will of the voters or were willing to try to overturn elections to benefit Republicans.
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It's just barely springtime in an off year, but there's been loads of election news lately, so co-hosts David Nir and David Beard have a super-sized roundup on this week's episode of The Downballot. The Davids recap the first round of voting in the race for Jacksonville mayor (which saw Democrats do unusually well) and the collapse of an effort to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell before turning to big batch of 2024 updates.
On tap for the Senate: The GOP's desperate effort to compete with Democratic fundraising enthusiasm by recruiting self-funders; why Republicans are afraid the guy who succeeded John Boehner in Congress will try to challenge Sherrod Brown; and how Democrats' plans to clear the field in Michigan may not succeed. Plus developments in the battle for New Hampshire's governorship, a key House seat in Wisconsin, and the saga of Tennessee's answer to George Santos.