Protasiewicz, Bratcher win state, county judge bids

Voters all over the state had their voices heard as they hit the polls to vote for local, county and state officials.

State Supreme Court Race

Judge candidates Janet Protasiewicz and William Bratcher won their respective races to earn seats in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and Clark County Branch 2 Court, respectively.

Protasiewicz earned 55.5% of the votes with about 96% of the vote counted according to estimates, beating out opponent, Dan Kelly.

Although the supreme court judges are supposed to be non-partisan, Protasiewicz has not been shy about her stance on abortion, elections and other hot-button issues that are slated to be heard by the supreme court in the coming years.

The victory means liberal-leaning judges hold a 4-3 majority in the supreme court. In central Wisconsin, Kelly took home a majority of the votes, earning 57% of the vote in Marathon and Clark Counties.

Kelly said in his concession statement that he appreciated those who “preserve the rule of law.”

“A hundred thousand thanks, as the Irish say, to all those who tirelessly worked to preserve the rule of law and our constitution through this cam- paign,” Kelly said. “Your passion for maintaining your liberties was inspiring and impressive. I will never forget your commitment to these foundational principles. But tonight, I am disappointed to learn that those who wish to maintain our constitutional order are in the minority of voters.”

He ended his statement with a wish for Wisconsin.

“I wish Wisconsin the best of luck. I think it will need it.”

Protasiewicz said her trek to become the state’s next supreme court judge has been a long road.

“Today’s results have been over a year in the making,” she said. “I could not have done it without the hard work and dedication of all of you right here in this room.”

Clark County Judge Race

Bratcher has unofficially earned 51.4% of the vote, garnering 4,194 votes to opponent Jake Brunette’s 3,972.

Bratcher and Brunette both appeared at multiple public events over the past year when campaigning for the race.

Locally, municipalities appeared to overwhelmingly favor Brunette while a majority of rural areas voted for Bratcher.

Once confirmed, Bratcher will serve alongside Lindsey Boon Brunette as the two Clark County circuit court judges.