Money Pouring Into Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Thursday, February 16th, 2023 -- 10:00 AM

(By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio) Money is pouring into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race ahead of the Feb. 21 primary, with one of the candidates far outpacing her rivals when it comes to fundraising.

According to Shawn Johnson with Wisconsin Public Radio, campaign finance reports filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission show Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who is backed by Democrats, has raised nearly $1.9 million since she got into the race last year.

That's about a half-million more than the campaigns of her three rivals combined. More than $235,000 of Protasiewicz' total came from large donations she reported in the past week alone.

Of that, $206,000 came from out-of-state donors.The other candidate backed by Democrats, Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell, has reported raising a total of about $221,000 since he got into the race last year.

Among conservatives running for the court, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow has reported raising more than $720,000 since she got into the race in November. Dorow reported raising about $50,000 from large donors in the past week.

Former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, the other conservative in the race, has raised a total of $415,000 since he launched his campaign. Most of Kelly's financial backing has come from outside groups, not from donations directly to his campaign.

While the fundraising numbers are large for a typically low-turnout February primary, they could pale in comparison to what is eventually spent on the Supreme Court race. The two top vote-getters in the officially nonpartisan primary will advance to the April 4 general election.

The winner will decide the ideological balance of the state's highest court.

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