Conservative candidate Kelly to face liberal Protasiewicz in Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Former state Supreme Court Judge Dan Kelly, a conservative candidate, is projected to advance to the April 4 general election in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, where he will face liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz.

Kelly, who was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2016 before later losing his election for a full term in 2020, came in second after Protasiewicz, who was overwhelmingly the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s primary, according to The Associated Press.

The Supreme Court seat was left open after conservative Justice Patience Roggensack announced she would not be seeking another term. 

The state Supreme Court race has drawn national attention given that Roggensack’s retirement leaves an even 3-3 partisan split, meaning that whoever wins the open seat will tilt the ideological makeup of the court. Among some of the issues that the new state Supreme Court could weigh in on include abortion rights, redistricting and even possible future election result disputes.