More than two months after Wisconsin Republicans lost a special election in a reliable state senate district– results described as a “wake-up call” by Gov. Scott Walker– conservatives suffered another setback.
Milwaukee County Judge Rebecca Dallet defeated Judge Michael Screnock for a 10-year term on the state Supreme Court, lessening the conservative majority from 5-2 to 4-3.
Though the legislature, governorship, and high court are all controlled by Republicans, President Trump was the first GOP presidential candidate to win Wisconsin since President Ronald Reagan. Walker has been elected governor three times in under ten years, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has won twice. But Dallet’s victory, the first open seat win for a liberal justice since 1995, is a reminder that Wisconsin is still a purple state.
Even more, the results will be seen as another sign that an emergent enthusiasm gap is going to plague Republicans this midterm cycle. Early indications suggest high turnout in Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee and Dane Counties was not balanced out by high turnout in conservative counties like Waukesha.
Like Rep.-elect Conor Lamb’s, D-Penn., upset in Pennsylvania, Dallet’s win will stir Republican midterm anxiety. “Republican insiders are chalking up @judgedallet victory to the anti-Trump mood among Democratic voters,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice tweeted. Dallet secured the endorsements of national figures like former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. Screnock, an ally of Walker’s, sought to depict her as an “activist” judge.
Republican insiders are chalking up @judgedallet victory to the anti-Trump mood among Democratic voters.
— Daniel Bice (@DanielBice) April 4, 2018
A recent Marquette University Law poll found evidence of an enthusiasm gap as well, showing that while 54 percent of Republicans said they were excited to vote in this year’s elections, 64 percent of Democrats said the same — a 12-point increase from 2014.
It’s hard to read Dallet’s win as anything but confirmation of those numbers.
For his part, Walker, who is up for re-election in November, expressed alarm again:
Tonight’s results show we are at risk of a #BlueWave in WI. The Far Left is driven by anger & hatred — we must counter it with optimism & organization. Let’s share our positive story with voters & win in November.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) April 4, 2018
