Dan Kelly was anything but graceful in defeat. The former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice lost his race against Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz by 11 percentage points on Tuesday, giving the court its first liberal majority in 15 years, but he refused to concede peacefully. Instead, Kelly used his concession speech to bitterly lash out against Protasiewicz, laying into what he called a “deeply deceitful, dishonorable and despicable” campaign. “My opponent is a serial liar,” Kelly fumed to a room of supporters at the Heidel House Hotel in Green Lake. “She’s disregarded judicial ethics. She’s demeaned the judiciary with her behavior. This is the future that we have to look forward to in Wisconsin.” Protasiewicz did not respond at her own campaign event in Milwaukee. Her win is expected to have a big impact on statewide issues like reproductive rights. “I wish Wisconsin the best of luck, because I think it’s going to need it,” Kelly groused.
