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Another "perfect storm": A state Supreme Court race in the grip of external forces
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Race
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| Contributor | Homegrown Democrat |
| Last Edited | Homegrown Democrat Mar 29, 2011 02:46pm |
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| Category | Analysis |
| Author | Craig Gilbert |
| Media | Newspaper - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
| News Date | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 05:30:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | As a case study in how circumstance and timing can dictate an election, it’s hard to top the April 5 Supreme Court contest in Wisconsin.
There was a time when Justice David Prosser was expected to coast to re-election.
But consider these three unique factors shaping the race:
First, of course, is the firestorm Gov. Walker touched off over collective bargaining rights. It galvanized labor and the left, the constituencies most likely to oppose a conservative such as Prosser. It raised the profile of the court race as the first important election since the bitter budget debate began. And it raised the stakes of the race. It created a situation where the court could decide the future of the labor fight and the labor fight could decide the future makeup of the court.
Second is the convergence of the court race with down-ballot races.
Walker’s election as governor last fall vacated his post as Milwaukee County executive before the end of his four-year term. That meant that the race between Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg would coincide with a new election for Milwaukee County executive. In an unrelated twist, it would also coincide with a new election for Dane County executive, thanks to incumbent Kathleen Falk’s decision last fall to retire in the middle of her four-year term. |
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