Protasiewicz secures the Supreme Court bid

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

Judge candidate Janet Protasiewicz won statewide to earn a seat in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

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 campaign,” 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.”