The Wisconsin Supreme Court race is set to decide the ideological balance of the court and determine the future of judicial elections statewide. It has become the most expensive Supreme Court race in history, with both campaigns and outside groups pouring in millions of dollars in ad-buys for the liberal-aligned judge, Janet Protasiewicz, and the conservative-aligned former Justice, Daniel Kelly. This contest has opened up debate on how formal nonpartisan judicial candidates should discuss and act on policies, prior to rendering their decisions.
The election will have an impact on the state’s 1849 abortion ban, the current legislative maps, and more. Protasiewicz has been very clear on her stances on these issues and speaks about them on the campaign trail, while Kelly believes this politicizes the position and wishes to stay away from such talks. Many believe that Protasiewicz’s victory could lead to the change being sought on certain important issues, while Kelly’s win could preserve the status quo.
FiveThirtyEight is offering viewers the chance to follow along with the election results on the night of April 4th, to see how these issues will play out in the state.
FiveThirtyEight is a digital media company, run by ESPN, which focuses on politics, economics, science, lifestyle, and sports data. It seeks to make complex information more understandable and provides opinions and analysis on issues in the political realm. The mission of FiveThirtyEight is to share knowledge and ideas about politics, economics, and life in general for their informed readers.
Scot Ross is the former executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. He was a strategist for the Wisconsin Democratic Party and the executive director of the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign prior to becoming the executive director of the liberal group. He works to expose special interests and corporate influence in the state and is a strong supporter of progressive issues such as access to healthcare, LGBTQ rights, healthcare protections, and tax reform.
