Candidates advance in state Supreme Court, Madison mayoral races

A liberal Milwaukee judge and a conservative former state Supreme Court justice won Tuesday’s primary to face off in a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race that will determine majority control with major issues looming, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz and ex-Justice Dan Kelly were the top two vote-getters in a four-candidate field and advance to the April 4 general election.

Protasiewicz won with about 46% of the vote, while Kelly came in second with about 24%. Protasiewicz and the other liberal candidate combined for nearly 54% compared with about 46% for the two conservatives.

Meanwhile, incumbent Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Gloria Reyes will progress to Madison’s April mayoral election, according to a report from The Capital Times.

Rhodes-Conway, who has been mayor since 2019, received 59.5% of votes — around 43,100 — while Reyes, a former Madison School Board president, deputy mayor under former Mayor Paul Soglin, and law enforcement officer, received 28%, or 20,200 votes.

Tuesday’s primary saw a record-high voter turnout at 36%, 16 points higher than 2019’s primary and 23 points higher than 2015.