While progressive Janet Protasiewicz’s victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race took centerstage Tuesday, state liberals also scored a big judicial win further down the ballot in Milwaukee County when Sara Geenen ousted conservative incumbent William Brash in a 69-31 landslide for a seat on the 16-member state Court of Appeals.
Brash, who was serving as chief justice at the time of his defeat, was appointed in 2015 by none other than GOP Gov. Scott Walker, and he didn’t even face an opponent in his 2017 campaign for a six-year term. Things were very different in this officially nonpartisan race, though, as Geenen worked to tie her opponent to Daniel Kelly, the conservative Supreme Court candidate who lost Milwaukee County 73-27.
Badger State Democrats also successfully defended three prominent local leaders in more officially nonpartisan races. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson earned a fourth term by turning back former county board member Kevin Sturn 55-45 as Protasiewicz was winning his county by a small 51-49. Nelson badly lost the 2016 election for the 8th Congressional District to Republican Mike Gallagher and dropped out of last year’s Senate race before the primary, but neither race required him to give up his post as the head of the competitive county that’s home to Appleton.
Just to the north in Green Bay, Mayor Eric Genrich scored a 53-47 victory over Republican Chad Weininger, a former state representative who now serves as Brown County’s director of administration. Republicans targeted Genrich for defeat, but the incumbent held on after running a campaign highlighting Weininger’s anti-abortion stances. Racine Mayor Cory Mason adopted a similar strategy, as well, as he turned back Republican Alderman Henry Perez 57-43.
Statewide, though, about two-thirds of statewide voters approved a pair of constitutional amendments to allow judges to consider additional factors for bail. Voters by an 80-20 margin also passed a nonbinding advisory referendum asking if “able-bodied, childless adults” should have to “look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits,” a measure legislative Republicans placed on the ballot in the vain hope that it would boost their prospects at holding the state Supreme Court seat.
Progressives scored a monumental victory in Wisconsin Tuesday night when Janet Protasiewicz flipped a pivotal seat on the state Supreme Court, and we've got plenty to say about it on this week's episode of The Downballot. Not only are the electoral implications deeply worrisome for Republicans, the court's new liberal majority has the chance to revive democracy in the Badger State by restoring abortion rights and striking down gerrymandered GOP maps. It truly is a new day—and one we've long awaited—in Wisconsin.
We're also delving into the fascinating politics of Alaska with our guest this week, former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Jonathan recounts his unlikely journey to the state House after winning a huge upset while still in college before explaining how Democrats, independents, and even a few Republicans forged a remarkable cross-partisan governing coalition. We also get an on-the-ground view of what Mary Peltola's stunning special election victory last year looked like to Alaska Democrats.
