Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Shows Sway of Abortion on Voters

Liberals on Tuesday gained their strongest hold on Wisconsin’s highest court in decades, the latest in a string of electoral victories for Democrats in politically mixed states in which abortion rights have played a central role.

Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a candidate with strong backing from the Democratic Party who openly touted her support for reproductive rights, won the seat in a swing state by 11 percentage points in Tuesday’s vote. It was the most expensive state supreme court race in U.S. history, in which money poured in from wealthy donors and national groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.