Spring Primary Results: Wisconsin Supreme Court, 7th CD

In the Feb. 18 spring primary election, Wisconsin voters chose candidates to advance to general elections in two high profile races: Wisconsin Supreme Court and the 7th Congressional District.

 

7th CD

Republican and Democratic primaries were both held in the special election for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Weston) resigned from the seat in September 2019.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) beat veteran and former U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson staffer Jason Church. Tiffany received 57 percent of Republican votes in the district, which includes northwestern and central Wisconsin.

On the Democratic side Wausau School Board President Tricia Zunker defeated Lawrence Dale, 89 percent to 11 percent.

Rep. Duffy held the seat since 2011, and the district is likely to remain Republican when Tiffany and Zunker face off in the general election, which is scheduled for May 12.

 

Supreme Court

In the Supreme Court race, incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky will compete in the April general election. Kelly won 50 percent of the vote, with Karofsky coming in second at 37 percent. At only 13 percent, Marquette Law School Professor Ed Fallone will not advance to the general.

Conservative Kelly picked up most rural counties in the state, while liberal Karofsky performed strongly in areas in and around Dane and Milwaukee Counties.

The Supreme Court currently sits at a 5-2 conservative majority. After this spring, the next Supreme Court election will not be until Chief Justice Roggensack is up for reelection in 2023.

 

Looking Ahead

In addition to local races, ballots for the statewide general election on April 7 will include:

  • Wisconsin Supreme Court
  • Democratic primary for president (see the latest Wisconsin Marquette poll results)
  • Approval of a constitutional amendment on victims’ rights. (Known as Marsy’s Law, the constitutional amendment passed the Legislature for the second time this session and will become law if approved by the voters in April.)