Jill Karofsky defeated Daniel Kelly in the general election for a ten-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. As of 7:35 p.m. on April 13, Karofsky had received 53.2% of the vote to Kelly’s 46.8% with 73% of precincts reporting.
Although the race was officially nonpartisan, Kelly is a member of the court’s conservative majority, received support from conservative groups, and was endorsed by President Donald Trump (R). Karofsky said she would join the court’s liberal minority, received support from liberal groups, and was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden (D).
The election determined the size of the court’s conservative majority. A win for Karofsky reduces the conservative majority to 4-3, meaning that the next regularly scheduled election in 2023 will decide control of the court. A Kelly win would have preserved the court’s 5-2 conservative majority. Assuming no justices leave the bench before their terms expire, a Kelly win would have prevented a liberal majority from forming on the court until 2026 at the earliest.
To learn more about the impact of coronavirus on this race, click here.
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