Donald Trump’s entry into Republican politics could provide a boost to Rebecca Bradley’s try on April 5 for a full 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Trump’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination has stirred broad citizen and media interest in the Republican presidential primaries across America. Voter turnout for primaries and caucuses in other states through early March show Republicans attracting a third more citizens than similar Democratic election events.
Bradley, in essence, is the Republican candidate for the state Supreme Court post which will be decided in Wisconsin’s April voting – which occurs in the same election as the presidential primary balloting.
Bradley is a favorite of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who appointed her to the court last year after the death of Justice Patrick Crooks. Earlier, Walker had appointed her to a circuit court judgeship and then to the State Court of Appeals.
Her election opponent is Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg, who narrowly lost a state Supreme Court race to Supreme Court Justice David Prosser in 2011. Prosser is a former Republican speaker of the Assembly.
At first blush, this year’s court race seemed to be close. In the February primary, Bradley got 44.7 percent of the vote, while Kloppenburg received 43.2 percent.
But Republicans are credited with a better record of voting in non-presidential elections. Plus, Trump and his primary opponents have made the GOP primary more exciting.
The potential for Democratic crossover votes in the April presidential primary race may not give a clear picture of partisan politics in Wisconsin and what that means for the November U.S. Senate campaign.
The better indicator comes from the ostensibly nonpartisan court race. A solid Bradley win would boost the morale of Republican leaders.
-Matt Pommer is the “dean” of Capitol correspondents in Madison. His column is published with permission from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, but does not reflect the view or opinions of the WNA or its member newspapers.
