Democrats won the most important election of the year on Tuesday night, flipping a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat to give them a majority on the court for the first time in 15 years in the key swing state.
Liberal Judge Janet Protaciewicz’s victory over conservative Judge Dan Kelly means she’ll likely be the deciding vote on a pending lawsuit to reinstate abortion rights in Wisconsin. She’s said that Wisconsin Republicans’ gerrymandered maps, which have kept them in power for more than a decade, are “rigged,” and suggested to VICE News that she’d throw them out. And with the 2024 presidential election looming, she will likely play a crucial role in any disputes around election rules, making her the arbiter in a long-running fight over absentee voting, ballot drop boxes, voter ID laws, and other election fights—and ensuring that any attempts by former President Donald Trump to steal the election like he tried in 2020 will be thwarted.
Protaciewicz won by a 55% to 45% margin, a lopsided victory in a state where elections are usually much closer.
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