Both candidates release biographical ads in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
With only two candidates having filed for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, no primary was needed last week. Now that the statewide primary is in the rear-view mirror, the campaign is picking up with the first round of ads. Appellate judges Brian Hagedorn and Lisa Neubauer both released their first campaign ads last week.
Hagedorn discussed the adoption of his daughter, Lily, who was born addicted to opioids. He has focused on the opioid crisis while campaigning, saying, "The heroin and meth epidemics are ravaging our communities. We must be part of the conversation. Our next justice must recognize that crime victims as well as those accused of crimes are protected in our constitution. And we must remember that law enforcement is our ally, not our enemy."
In her first video, Neubauer indicated that she was Jane Doe No. 1 in a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Chicago that impacted unconstitutional strip search policies across the country. "It taught me about the importance of being able to look to the courts for those values: justice, fairness, equality," Neubauer said.
Hagedorn and Neubauer are running in a proxy partisan battle. Although state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin are nonpartisan, liberal and conservative groups typically coalesce around specific candidates. Conservatives, who back Hagedorn, hold a 4-3 majority on the court heading into the election. Like Shirley Abrahamson, who is retiring and leaving this seat open, Neubauer has been supported by liberals.
If conservatives win this seat, it will expand their majority on the court to 5-2. If liberals retain Abrahamson’s seat, it will set up a battle for control of the court in 2020, when Dan Kelly, who was appointed to the court in 2016 by Gov. Scott Walker (R), will stand for election for the first time.
The election will take place on April 2, 2019.
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