2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

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Candidate Rebecca Dallet Michael Screnock Popular vote 555,848 440,808 Percentage 55.72% 44.19%

County results Dallet:     50–60%     60–70%     80–90% Screnock:     50–60%     60–70%

Justice before election Michael Gableman Elected Justice Rebecca Dallet

The 2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on April 3, 2018 to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The incumbent justice, Michael Gableman, retired rather than seek another term. Milwaukee County circuit court judge Rebecca Dallet defeated Sauk County circuit court judge Michael Screnock, shifting the ideology of the court towards liberals.

Dallet's landslide victory was seen as a sign of Democratic enthusiasm ahead of the 2018 US midterm elections in November. ^[1] Reacting to the results of the election, Governor Scott Walker warned that Republicans were at risk of a blue wave in Wisconsin. ^{[2] [3]} Walker's prediction would turn out to be true, as he lost re-election and Democrats won all five statewide races in the fall Wisconsin elections.

Primary election

Candidates

Advanced

• Rebecca Dallet, judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court (Branch 40) ^[4]
• Michael Screnock, judge of the Sauk County Circuit Court (Branch 1) ^[5]

Eliminated in primary

• Tim Burns, insurance attorney ^[6]

Declined

• Michael Gableman, incumbent Supreme Court justice ^[7]

Endorsements

Tim Burns

U.S. Representatives

• Mark Pocan, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district (Democratic) ^[8]

County officials

• Kathleen Falk, former Dane County Executive (1997–2011) (Democratic) ^[9]

Judicial officials

• JoAnne Kloppenburg, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ^[10]

Organizations

• Citizen Action ^[11]
• Our Revolution ^[12]

Newspapers and other media

• The Cap Times (co-endorsement with Dallet) ^[13]
• The Shepherd Express (co-endorsement with Dallet) ^[14]

Rebecca Dallet

Judicial officials

• Kitty Brennan, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ^[15]
• Louis Butler, former Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (2004–2008) ^[16]
• Lisa Stark, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ^[17]

County officials

• John Chisholm, Milwaukee County District Attorney (Democratic) ^[18]
• Mike Graveley, Kenosha County District Attorney ^[19]
• Ismael Ozanne, Dane County District Attorney (Democratic) ^[20]

Labor unions

• AFT-Wisconsin ^[21]

Newspapers and other media

• The Cap Times (co-endorsement with Tim Burns) ^[13]
• The Shepherd Express (co-endorsement with Tim Burns) ^[14]

Michael Screnock

Judicial officials

• Rebecca Bradley, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ^[22]
• Mike Gableman, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ^[22]
• Mark Gundrum, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ^[22]
• Brian Hagedorn, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ^[22]
• Dan Kelly, Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ^[22]
• David Prosser, former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (1998–2016) ^[22]
• Jon Wilcox, former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (1992–2007) ^[22]

Organizations

• Wisconsin Realtors Association ^[23]
• Wisconsin Right to Life PAC ^[24]

Political parties

• Wisconsin Republican Party ^[25]

Forums

2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate forums

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Candidates
Key:  P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Tim Burns	Rebecca Dallet	Michael Screnock
1 [26]	August 11, 2017	American Constitution Society	Jeff Bowen	WisEye	P	P	N
2 [27]	January 22, 2018	The Federalist Society	Ryan Owens	YouTube	P	P	P

Results

2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court primary election ^[28]

Candidate		Votes	%
Michael Screnock		247,582	46.28%
Rebecca Dallet		191,268	35.75%
Tim Burns		95,508	17.85%
Write-in		622	0.12%
Total votes		534,980	100.0%

General election

Post-primary endorsements

Rebecca Dallet

Federal officials

• Tammy Baldwin, U.S. senator from Wisconsin ^[29]
• Joe Biden, 47th vice president of the United States (2009–2017) ^[30]
• Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey ^[31]
• Herb Kohl, former U.S. senator from Wisconsin (1989–2013) ^[32]

State officials

• Jim Doyle, former Governor of Wisconsin (2003–2011) ^[33]

County officials

• Kathleen Falk, former Dane County Executive (1997–2011) ^[34]
• Tom Nelson, Outagamie County Executive ^[34]

Judicial officials

• Shirley Abrahamson, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ^[35]
• Ann Walsh Bradley, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ^[36]
• Ellen Brostrom, judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, daughter of Chief Justice Pat Roggensack ^[37]
• JoAnne Kloppenburg, judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ^[34]

Organizations

• Giffords ^[38]
• NARAL Pro-Choice America ^[39]
• Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin ^[40]

Labor unions

• AFSCME Wisconsin Council 32 ^[41]
• Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin ^[42]
• SEIU Wisconsin State Council ^[41]
• WI AFL-CIO ^[43]

Political parties

• Wisconsin Democratic Party ^[44]
• Wisconsin Working Families Party ^[45]

Newspapers and other media

• The Cap Times ^[46]
• The Shepherd Express ^[47]
• Wisconsin State Journal ^[48]

Michael Screnock

Judicial officials

• Annette Ziegler, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court ^[49]

Organizations

• NRA Political Victory Fund ^[50]
• Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation ^[51]
• Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police ^[52]

Debates

2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Candidates
Key:  P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Rebecca Dallet	Michael Screnock
1 [53]	March 2, 2018	WISN-TV Marquette University Law School	Mike Gousha	YouTube	P	P
2 [54]	March 26, 2018	Milwaukee Bar Association WisconsinEye	Steve Walters	WisEye	P	P
3 [55]	March 30, 2018	Wisconsin Public Radio PBS Wisconsin	Frederica Freyberg Shawn Johnson	PBS	P	P

Results

2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court election ^[56]

Candidate		Votes	%
Rebecca Dallet		555,848	55.72%
Michael Screnock		440,808	44.19%
Write-in		829	0.08%
Total votes		997,485	100.0%

References

1. Davey, Monica (April 3, 2018). "Liberal Judge Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat, Buoying Democrats". New York Times .
2. "Republicans warned of 'blue wave' after liberal wins Wisconsin court race". NBC News . April 4, 2018.
3. Bradner, Eric (April 4, 2018). "Walker warns GOP 'at risk of a #BlueWave' after Democratic win in Wisconsin court race". CNN .
4. White, Laurel (June 1, 2017). "Milwaukee Judge Rebecca Dallet Launches Supreme Court Campaign". Wisconsin Public Radio .
5. Vasquez, Rachael (June 16, 2017). "Sauk County Judge Announces Bid For Wisconsin Supreme Court". Wisconsin Public Radio .
6. Bauer, Scott (May 1, 2017). "Madison attorney launches Supreme Court campaign". Wisconsin Law Journal .
7. Marley, Patrick (June 15, 2017). "Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman will not seek second term". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on December 2, 2024.
8. Bice, Daniel (December 18, 2017). "Bice: U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan says Supreme Court endorsement not linked to past donations". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on April 14, 2025.
9. "Kathleen Falk Endorses Tim Burns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court". Urban Milwaukee . October 6, 2017.
10. "Burns campaign: Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg endorses Tim Burns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court". wispolitics.com (Press release). August 21, 2017.
11. "Citizen Action of Wisconsin: Endorses Tim Burns for state Supreme Court". WisPolitics (Press release). February 13, 2018.
12. "Our Revolution: Endorses Tim Burns for Supreme Court". WisPolitics (Press release). January 11, 2018.
13. "Editorial: Tim Burns and Rebecca Dallet are credible Supreme Court candidates". The Cap Times . February 7, 2018.
14. "Shepherd Express Proudly Endorses both Tim Burns and Rebecca Dallet". The Shepherd Express . February 13, 2018.
15. "Wisconsin Judges Back Rebecca Dallet for Supreme Court Bid". Urban Milwaukee . February 8, 2018.
16. "Dallet campaign: Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Butler announces support for Judge Dallet". wispolitics.com (Press release). December 13, 2017.
17. "Dallet campaign: Rebecca Dallet earns support from 89 judges in Wisconsin Supreme Court bid". WisPolitics. August 7, 2017.
18. "Dallet Campaign: Clear choice of Milwaukee County leaders". wispolitics.com (Press release). October 17, 2017.
19. "Dallet campaign: Leaders from Southeast Wisconsin announce support for Judge Rebecca Dallet". wispolitics.com (Press release). November 9, 2017.
20. "Dallet campaign: Judge Dallet earns widespread support from Dane County elected officials". wispolitics.com (Press release). October 10, 2017.
21. "AFT-Wisconsin Endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". AFT-Wisconsin.
22. Marley, Patrick (September 28, 2017). "Michael Screnock gets endorsements from conservatives in Wisconsin Supreme Court bid". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .
23. "Screnock campaign: Endorsed by Wisconsin REALTORS Association Realtors endorse Judge Michael Screnock in February 20th Supreme Court Primary". wispolitics.com (Press release). January 26, 2018.
24. "Wisconsin Right to Life PAC Endorses Judge Michael Screnock". Wisconsin Right to Life. February 1, 2018.
25. "State GOP gave Screnock almost half the $231,861 he raised in pre-primary period for Supreme Court bid". wispolitics.com. February 13, 2018.
26. "FRI AM Update: Burns, Dallet participate in Supreme Court forum today; weekly radio addresses". wispolitics.com. August 11, 2017.
27. Johnson, Shawn (January 22, 2018). "Wisconsin Supreme Court Debate Marked By Personal, Partisan Attacks". Wisconsin Public Radio .
28. "2018 Spring Primary Canvas" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission .
29. "Dallet Campaign: U.S. Sen. Baldwin endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". WisPolitics (Press release). February 26, 2018.
30. Marley, Patrick; Vielmetti, Bruce (March 28, 2018). "Joe Biden backs Dallet as Supreme Court candidates bicker over role of special interests". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .
31. "Senator Cory Booker Endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". Urban Milwaukee . March 19, 2018.
32. "Dallet campaign: Former Senator Herb Kohl endorses". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 7, 2018.
33. "Dallet campaign: Former Gov. Doyle endorses Dallet for state Supreme Court". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 12, 2018.
34. "Dallet campaign: Judge earns new endorsements from across Wisconsin". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 1, 2018.
35. "Dallet Campaign: Justice Shirley Abrahamson endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". WisPolitics (Press release). March 2, 2018.
36. "Dallet Campaign: Justice Ann Walsh Bradley endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". WisPolitics (Press release). March 2, 2018.
37. Bice, Daniel; Marley, Patrick (March 16, 2018). "Daughter of Supreme Court chief withdraws support of candidate Rebecca Dallet following criticism". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on April 5, 2025.
38. "Giffords Endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court Against Gun Lobby Backed Candidate". Urban Milwaukee . March 30, 2018.
39. "NARAL Pro-Choice America: Endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". wispolitics.com. March 30, 2018.
40. "Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin: Endorses Judge Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice". WisPolitics. March 16, 2018.
41. "Dallet campaign: Working Wisconsinites endorse Dallet for Justice". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 9, 2018.
42. "Dallet campaign: Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin endorse Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 16, 2018.
43. "Wisconsin AFL-CIO Endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice". Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. February 28, 2018.
44. "Democratic Party of Wisconsin 4/1/18 Post". Facebook . April 1, 2018.
45. "Dallet campaign: Wisconsin Working Families Party endorses Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 14, 2018.
46. "Editorial: Rebecca Dallet would bring ethics and honor to the high court". The Cap Times . March 19, 2018.
47. "The Shepherd Express Endorsements for the Tuesday, April 3 Elections". The Shepherd Express . March 27, 2018.
48. "Endorsement: Rebecca Dallet is more experienced and independent, deserves election to high court". Wisconsin State Journal . March 24, 2018. Archived from the original on April 5, 2025.
49. "Screnock campaign: Endorsed by Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 30, 2018.
50. "NRA-PVF Endorses Michael Screnock for Supreme Court". NRA-PVF.
51. "Screnock campaign: Earns another Wisconsin endorsement". wispolitics.com (Press release). March 29, 2018.
52. "Screnock campaign: Endorsed by Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police". WisPolitics. March 13, 2018.
53. "Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates clash in first debate". WISN-TV . March 2, 2018.
54. Quirmbach, Chuck (March 26, 2018). "Dallet Promises To Recuse Herself From Special Elections Case". Wisconsin Public Radio .
55. Marley, Patrick (March 30, 2018). "Rebecca Dallet and Michael Screnock argue over ads and activist judges in final debate". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on April 15, 2025.
56. "2018 Spring Election Canvas" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission .