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Last Tuesday, Wisconsin held its presidential primary and state and local elections despite an outcry against voter suppression while the state has been under a stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic. Efforts to postpone the election or expand absentee voting failed after they were opposed by Wisconsin Republicans and shot down by conservative judges. Democrats called the conditions under which the election was held “voter suppression on steroids.”
The results of the presidential primary are more or less meaningless: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dropped out of the running the day after Wisconsin held its elections and has since endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic nominee. That said, Sanders will remain on the ballot and has said he will use his margin of delegates to influence Biden’s platform. On Monday, Sanders endorsed Biden’s bid.
But arguably the most important election in Wisconsin was for the state’s Supreme Court. Incumbent Dan Kelly, who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and endorsed by President Donald Trump, faced a challenge from Jill Karofsky, a Wisconsin circuit court judge endorsed by Democratic Party politicians. Karofsky won.
The top court in Wisconsin will now have a partisan tilt of four conservative judges to three liberals after Karofky’s victory. The partisan lean of the court is vital as Wisconsin Republicans in the Legislature have used their heavily gerrymandered majority to strip power from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers with support from their allies on the court.
Wisconsin Democrats accused Republicans of trying to suppress the vote in order to protect Kelly’s seat. Wisconsin Republicans have had an eye on this election date for some time: During a 2018 lame-duck session with Walker still in office, the Republican majority tried to keep the state Supreme Court race off the presidential primary ballot. Then they voted against every attempt by Evers to postpone in-person voting and expand absentee balloting. Wisconsin Republicans were ultimately able to win two court cases — one in the state’s Supreme Court and one in the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately kept in-person voting close to the status quo despite the pandemic.
The results of the presidential primary are more or less meaningless: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dropped out of the running the day after Wisconsin held its elections and has since endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic nominee. That said, Sanders will remain on the ballot and has said he will use his margin of delegates to influence Biden’s platform. On Monday, Sanders endorsed Biden’s bid.
But arguably the most important election in Wisconsin was for the state’s Supreme Court. Incumbent Dan Kelly, who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and endorsed by President Donald Trump, faced a challenge from Jill Karofsky, a Wisconsin circuit court judge endorsed by Democratic Party politicians. Karofsky won.
The top court in Wisconsin will now have a partisan tilt of four conservative judges to three liberals after Karofky’s victory. The partisan lean of the court is vital as Wisconsin Republicans in the Legislature have used their heavily gerrymandered majority to strip power from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers with support from their allies on the court.
Wisconsin Democrats accused Republicans of trying to suppress the vote in order to protect Kelly’s seat. Wisconsin Republicans have had an eye on this election date for some time: During a 2018 lame-duck session with Walker still in office, the Republican majority tried to keep the state Supreme Court race off the presidential primary ballot. Then they voted against every attempt by Evers to postpone in-person voting and expand absentee balloting. Wisconsin Republicans were ultimately able to win two court cases — one in the state’s Supreme Court and one in the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately kept in-person voting close to the status quo despite the pandemic.
