Progressive activists now have the opportunity to reshape Wisconsin law on a wide array of matters.

On Tuesday, progressive Milwaukee judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative candidate Dan Kelly by eleven points in Wisconsin’s supreme-court election, handing progressive activists a 4–3 majority on the court and the opportunity to reshape Wisconsin law on a wide array of matters, from abortion to redistricting to public-sector unions.

Kelly’s 55.5–44.5 loss yesterday was almost identical to his 55.2–44.7 loss in the 2020 supreme-court race. Kelly had been appointed to Wisconsin’s high court by Governor Scott Walker in 2016, and was seeking a ten-year term in 2020. His loss that year coincided with a competitive Democratic presidential primary between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders that gave Democrats a big advantage in the down-ballot supreme-court election.

Kelly’s loss in 2020 was just one reason why Democrats wanted to run against him this time around, and spent more than $2 million against his conservative opponent Jennifer Dorow in the preliminary round of voting in February. Dorow had gained popularity as the judge who presided over the murder trial of the man who committed the Waukesha Christmas parade massacre. And Kelly could be tied to Trump: In 2020, he’d been hired to provide legal counsel to the Republican Party of Wisconsin, and the GOP chairman of the party signed up to serve as an “alternate elector” for Trump. The chairman said he’d sought legal advice from Kelly, but Kelly would not say what advice he’d provided, citing attorney–client privilege.