The election stakes in Chicago and Wisconsin
A preview of Tuesday's primaries for mayor and state Supreme Court.
When we look back at the 2022 election cycle, many in the mainstream media will claim that Republicans "underperformed" in the midterm elections. But what many won’t talk about is the success conservative candidates had in state supreme court races across the country.
Most notably in North Carolina and Ohio, conservatives Trey Allen and Richard Dietz were able to overcome $5.6 million in liberal spending on television ads to flip control of the state Supreme Court, giving conservatives a 5-2 advantage. In Ohio, conservatives Sharon Kennedy, Pat Fischer and Pat DeWine won their races, allowing conservatives to retain a 4-3 majority on the bench.
Fast-forward to 2023, where the national spotlight is shining once again on the state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin.
In the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, former Justice Dan Kelly is running against liberal Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Conservative and former Wisconsin state Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly is running against liberal Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz. With spending for this race well over $30 million, it is the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history.
TRUMP INDICTMENT UNLIKELY TO SWAY WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RACE
The liberal playbook has once again tried to make this race a referendum on abortion, but as recent polling has shown, crime is a legitimate threat to the overwhelming majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents alike. Conservative judges who ran on crime in 2022 won seven out of eight state supreme court races in states like Michigan, Ohio and North Carolina. And in 2022 in Wisconsin, crime was an issue that allowed Sen. Ron Johnson to defeat soft-on-crime Democrat Mandela Barnes.
Sen. Ron Johnson and his Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes shake hands before a televised debate, Oct. 7, 2022, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Soft-on-crime liberals like Protasiewicz have a crystal clear record of giving criminals a pass, from issuing light sentences for sex criminals and domestic abusers to convicted murderers who tried to have witnesses killed. Dan Kelly has exposed Janet Protasiewicz on her egregious record that seems to favor violent criminals over law-abiding citizens.
This was just one of the issues conservatives in Ohio and North Carolina were able to capitalize on the pathway to their historic victories. But it wasn’t just crime.
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Janet Protasiewicz participates in a candidate forum in Madison, Wisconsin, on Jan. 9, 2023. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)
Radical judges like Protasiewicz have made it clear that they would use the power of the court to redraw congressional and state legislative maps for future election cycles that would likely favor Democrats. This points to how liberals ultimately would like to use the court to legislate their radical agenda instead of going through the legislature where states like Wisconsin are controlled by Republicans.
Speaking at a candidate forum in January of this year, Protasiewicz herself called the state election maps "rigged." How could the people of Wisconsin trust Protasiewicz to stay away from redrawing state and federal maps when she is so boldly claiming how she would rule in a redistricting case as part of her pitch to win an election?
National Democrats know how critical these state supreme court races are, which is why Hollywood celebrities and prominent Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are weighing in on the race. It’s also why George Soros is spending millions of dollars to get their candidate elected.
George Soros speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 24, 2019. (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Now that Democrats are honing in on state-level elections, if they take control of the courts, they will gerrymander their way into state legislative majorities, and redraw congressional maps to retake the U.S. House majority.
With control over the state Supreme Court on the line on Tuesday, Wisconsinites need to get out in droves and vote for conservative Judge Dan Kelly. If Kelly is able to replicate the conservative playbook from 2022, then there is hope that we can put an end to liberal soft-on-crime policies and maintain the integrity of the redistricting process and the rule of law.
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