Abortion drives liberal’s win in Wisconsin court election

By SARA BURNETT, TODD RICHMOND and HARM VENHUIZEN
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The victory by Democratic-backed candidate Janet Protaswiecz in Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court election is a fresh example of the enduring political power of abortion rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal. Protasiewicz defeated her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, by an astonishing 11 percentage points in Tuesday’s election. Her win will give Democratic-backed justices a 4-3 majority when she takes office in August, putting progressives in a prime position to overturn the state’s 174-year-old abortion ban and undo a host of Republican-written policies and statutes. Turnout was nearly 40%, practically unheard of for a spring election in Wisconsin.