The contest between liberal Janet Protasiewicz and conservative Daniel Kelly is the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, according to New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice. Nearly $45 million had been spent as of last week, according to a WisPolitics.com review, far outstripping the previous record of $15.2 million.
Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee judge, is facing off against Dan Kelly, a conservative who lost his seat on the supreme court in 2020. Conservatives currently have a 4-3 majority on the state’s highest court, but one of its conservative justices is retiring, meaning that the outcome of the election will determine the ideological balance of the court.
Polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. Wisconsin is expecting severe weather on Tuesday afternoon, including high winds, hail and a potential tornado. The Dane county clerk, Scott McDonell, told the Guardian he was concerned about how the weather might affect turnout and was telling people to vote early.
