Major Upset: Conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Shocks Liberals With Surprise Victory

It was a statewide race that only the nerdiest of political nerds were following at the national level, but suffice it to say that we'd be hearing a lot about it if the expected outcome had come to pass. By way of background, Wisconsin's Supreme Court has been decidedly conservative for years, but when a liberal justice won a resounding 12-point victory last fall (Badger State voters choose Supreme Court members in nominally "non-partisan" elections), the Left immediately set it sights on the 2019 contest. If a left-leaning candidate had defeated another right-leaning jurist -- as was widely anticipated by political experts -- liberals believed they'd have a very real shot at wresting ideological control of the state's high court in 2020. But a funny thing happened on the way to that liberal judicial renaissance. Voters intervened:

Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn held a narrow lead early Wednesday in the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, according to unofficial tallies that were so close both sides were bracing for a recount. In an early morning tweet and statement to supporters, Hagedorn claimed victory. "The people of Wisconsin have spoken and our margin of victory is insurmountable,"the statement read...Hagedorn led fellow Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer 50.2% to 49.8% with nearly all of Tuesday's votes unofficially counted — at a margin that allows a recount. A win by Hagedorn would defy the predictions of prominent groups that typically back conservative judicial candidates but counted him out and wouldn't spend on his behalf during the race.

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