Dallet soundly defeats Screnock in victory for liberals

After a contentious and bitter race, Milwaukee County Judge Rebecca Dallet defeated Judge Michael Screnock of Sauk County in Tuesday’s state Supreme Court election by a wide margin.

Democrats hail the result a victory, knocking down the previous conservative majority from 5-2 to 4-3, and marking the first time in over two decades that a liberal has won a seat on the bench without being an incumbent.

"Even in an age of big money politics, campaigns are first and foremost about people,” Dallet said in her victory speech. “We beat the NRA, and we beat the millions in special interest money that flowed into our state."

Screnock easily captured Republican strongholds like Waukesha County, but performed well under what was required in urban areas like Dane and Milwaukee County to come away with the win.

“I am proud to have run a campaign that remained focused on my judicial philosophy and my experience in spite of tremendous outside influence from liberal special interest groups that were willing to sat and spend anything to elect their preferred candidate to the bench,” Screnock said.

With Dallet’s election, Wisconsin will now become the state with the highest proportion of women serving on it’s high court.

Voters also overwhelmingly voted to retain the office of the state treasurer in a blow to Gov. Scott Walker and other conservatives, who sought to do away with the position.

The state Legislature has moved to take significant power away from the office over the last several years, and, after legislators previously voted to abolish it twice, the issue was put to the public as a referendum for the final say.

Opponents argued the office’s old powers should be restored and the position retained, serving as it traditionally had since the state’s founding.

Entering the midterm cycle with a renewed energy, many liberals hope to continue to see electoral victories of this kind.