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WAUWATOSA — Justice Rebecca Bradley was elected Tuesday to a 10-year seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating state Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg in a bitter, highly charged race.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Bradley held a decisive lead over Kloppenburg, who made her second unsuccessful run for a seat on the state’s highest court.

Bradley told supporters at a election night party in Wauwatosa that she drew strength during the campaign from her fiance who, during tough moments of the spring campaign, quoted Winston Churchill.

“When you’re going through hell, keep going,” she said. Bradley also congratulated Kloppenburg for a “hard-fought campaign.”

Kloppenburg conceded defeat to a small gathering at The Brink Lounge in Madison after calling Bradley to congratulate her.

“Although I lost this race, I will never lose sight of the promise of the American system of justice,” she said, with her husband and three children standing behind her.