Hagedorn's Ugly Wake-up Call. (Shepherd Express, 4/9/2019)
Just in time to prevent progressive Wisconsin voters from getting too cocky about ridding their state of rightwing Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Brian Hagedorn, an extremely disturbing state Supreme Court candidate, appears to have eked out a narrow victory.
It was an ugly wake-up call after last April’s election of respected Justice Rebecca Dallet to the court and November’s Democratic sweep by Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Democrats had high hopes of continuing to restore Wisconsin’s reputation as a reliably progressive state ahead of the 2020 presidential election when Appeals Court Judge Lisa Neubauer’s opponent turned out to be Walker’s former legal counsel Hagedorn, who expressed contempt for same-sex relationships and considered gays the equivalent of people engaging in sex with animalsGOP sees positive 2020 sign in Wisconsin Supreme Court race (Washington Post, 4/3/2019)
While Republicans were excited, they were also cautious about what Hagedorn’s showing means for President Donald Trump’s re-election. “Nobody should assume because Republicans won this race that they will continue to win everything else,” Republican strategist and former state GOP leader Brandon Scholz said.
“This is one election where all the pieces came together at the end. 2020 is an entirely different, politically charged animal with the presidential race.”Gains in northern Wisconsin boost Hagedorn to narrow lead in Wisconsin Supreme Court race. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/3/2019)
Exhibit E, Langlade County, shown above. Of the 20 counties with the biggest swings in a conservative direction over the 2018 court race, all but two were in those two northern TV markets.A Red Warning Sign: A Wisconsin election brings double disappointment for Democrats. (The New York Times, 4/5/2019).
Wisconsin Supreme Court races are statewide, and Hagedorn’s win suggests that Wisconsin remains up for grabs heading into President Trump’s re-election campaign. Republican voters now seem quite energized, and turnout was high in conservative areas, like Waukesha County, just west of Milwaukee. “The GOP’s win in Wisconsin Supreme Court race showed a base that’s waking up,” Reid Wilson of The Hill noted. [emphasis added]
How other counties voted:
Adams. (4/9/2019)
Ashland. (4/9/2019)
Barron. (4/9/2019)
Bayfield. (4/9/2019)
Brown. (4/9/2019)
Buffalo. (4/9/2019)
Burnett. (4/9/2019)
Calumet. (4/9/2019
Chippewa. (4/9/2019)
Clark. (4/9/2019)
Columbia. (4/9/2019)
Crawford. (4/9/2019)
Dane. (4/9/2019)
Dodge. (4/10/2019)
Door. (4/10/2019)
Douglas. (4/10/2019)
Dunn. (4/10/2019)
Eau Claire. (4/10/2019)
Florence. (4/10/2019)
Fond du Lac. (4/10/2019)
Forest. (4/10/2019)
Grant. (4/10/2019)
Green. (4/10/2019)
Green Lake. (4/10/2019)
Iowa (4/11/2019)
Iron. (4/11/2019)
Jackson. (4/11/2019)
Jefferson. (4/11/2019)
Juneau. (4/11/2019)
Kenosha. (4/11/2019)
Kewaunee. (4/12/2019)
La Crosse. (4/12/2019)
Lafayette. (4/12/2019)
Langlade. (4/12/2019)
Lincoln. (4/12/2019)
Manitowoc. (4/12/2019)
Marathon. (4/13/2019)
Marinette. (4/13/2019)
Marquette. (4/13/2019)
Menomonie. (4/13/2019)
