Judge Rebecca Dallet via her campaign Twitter page
Liberal Milwaukee Court judge Rebecca Dallet defeated conservative Sauk County judge Michael Screnock in Tuesday's Wisconsin Supreme Court race, handing Democrats a major victory amid a brewing anti-Trump movement ahead of this year’s midterms.
Why it matters: This victory comes as the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, is targeting GOP-controlled state governments in Wisconsin and other key battleground states as part of a broader effort to undercut Republicans’ sweeping control of the redistricting process ahead of the 2020 Census.
The details: The race for a 10-year seat on the state’s seven high-court was technically nonpartisan, but it had quickly turned into a political slugfest. It generated more than $2.5 million in ad spending and endorsements from outside conservative and liberal groups, including the National Rifle Association and the NDRG.
- Democrats haven't won an open seat on the court since 1995, per the AP. Dallet's victory will shrink the court's conservative majority from 5-2 to a more narrow 4-3 — a move that will shake up the court's ideological makeup, which had gutted campaign finance and voting rights laws.
What they're saying:
- Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who backed Screnock and is seeking a third-term in November, tweeted: "Tonight’s results show [Republicans] are at risk of a #BlueWave in WI."
- Holder said in a statement that Dallet, who positioned herself as an anti-Trump crusader, "will be an independent voice for fairness and common sense."