Months after narrowly losing a politically divisive Supreme Court race to Justice David Prosser, Asst. Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
Kloppenburg announced Friday she will be running to replace retiring District 4 Judge Margaret Vergeront, whose district encompasses 24 counties in southwestern Wisconsin, including Dane County.
A non-partisan election will be held April 2012 to decide Vergeront's successor. If three or more candidates run, there will be a primary election in February.
Kloppenburg says she plans to limit her campaign donations to $1000 per person or political action committee.
""Justice should not be for sale and judicial elections ought to be different. People need to have confidence in our courts and our judges,"" Kloppenburg said in a statement.
Kloppenburg said she hopes voluntarily limiting contributions will help send a clear message that she will be ""an impartial decision maker.""
Her decision to run for Wisconsin's Court of Appeals comes after her recent loss in one of the most highly politicized Supreme Court races in Wisconsin history.
Many supporters and opponents of Gov. Scott Walker interpreted the April race between Kloppenbrug and Justice David Prosser as a referendum on Walker's collective bargaining bill.
Kloppenburg lost the election by less than 0.5 percent after a Waukesha County clerk discovered uncounted votes the following day, pushing Prosser slightly ahead.
Kloppenburg saw what she called ""widespread anomalies"" in Prosser's victory and sought a recount, which reaffirmed Prosser's victory a month and a half later.
