Rebecca Dallet, a Milwaukee County judge who received the backing of Vice President Joe Biden and got support from former attorney general Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has been declared the winner in a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin on Tuesday night.
“The candidate with the most experience in our courts and standing up for the fairness of our courts won,” Dallet told the AP. “I think people are tired of what’s been going on in our state in terms of the money coming in to buy these elections and people spoke out tonight.”
With more than 70 percent of precincts reporting, she led Sauk County Judge Michael Screnock by more than 10 points and she will now serve a ten-year term on the court. Dallet's win also means that six of the seven members of the court are now women.
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More importantly in terms of the state's future, her victory shrinks the conservative majority on the state’s highest court from 5-2 to 4-3, which could have implications on future voting rights issues and gerrymandering.
It is also another data point suggesting that nationwide and in Wisconsin specifically, the tide may be turning to Democrats’ favor. In January, Democrat Patty Schachtner won a special election in Senate District 10, flipping a seat that had been in Republicans' since 2000. Donald Trump won that district 55-38 in the 2016 presidential election.
Republican Governor Scott Walker had refused to hold special elections for two vacancies in the state following that election. But last week, he finally called them after three separate judges ordered that he should.
In the aftermath of Tuesday's election, Walker tweeted his concern for the future.
"Tonight’s results show we are at risk of a #BlueWave in WI," he wrote. "The Far Left is driven by anger & hatred -- we must counter it with optimism & organization. Let’s share our positive story with voters & win in November."
