MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz raised twice what any other candidate raised in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race, during the second half of 2022, a report found.
That's according to the latest numbers from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, released on Wednesday. They are a non-profit that tracks money in Wisconsin politics and pushes for campaign finance reforms.
The report found longtime GOP and Dem contributors led the list of top donors during the second half of 2022. The two liberal-leaning and two conservative-leaning candidates raised a total of $1.49 million in the second half of 2022, according to campaign finance reports filed by the candidates on Tuesday.
Protasiewicz (liberal), Jennifer Dorow (conservative), Daniel Kelly (conservative) and Everett Mitchell (liberal) are running for one empty seat on the state's highest court. Justice Patience Roggensack's term expires on July 31, 2023. She is a conservative and decided to not run for re-election.
The candidates with the most votes in the primary election on Feb. 21 will go onto the general election on April 4. The victor of the general election serves for 10 years on the court.
Whoever wins the Supreme Court race will determine whether liberals or conservatives control the court in Wisconsin. The court's upcoming major cases could determine the future of abortion laws, redistricting and rules of elections in the state, according to the Associated Press.
How much did candidates in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race raise so far?
According to those campaign finance reports, Protasiewicz, of Franklin, Wisconsin, raised $756,117 in the last six months of 2022. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign notes that one of Protasiewicz’s contributors appears to have exceeded the legal limit: Madeleine Lubar, a Milwaukee resident identified as a community volunteer, made four contributions totaling $24,675.
The individual contributor limit in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race is capped at $20,000, according to the state's campaign finance laws.
Kelly, of North Prairie, Wisconsin, raised $312,359 during the last six months of 2022.
Dorow, of Hartland, Wisconsin, raised $306,919 during the last half of 2022.
Mitchell, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, accepted $115,689 in the last half of 2022, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign report.