MILWAUKEE, WI – Dane County Judge Jill Karofsky is claiming victory in her race against incumbent Dan Kelly for state Supreme Court.

The Associated Press called the race for Karofsky at 7 p.m.

Earlier in the evening Karofsky released the following statement Monday evening, saying the release of election results shows her winning the Wisconsin Supreme Court race:

“I want to send a heartfelt thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who made their voice heard in this unprecedented election. I’m honored to have earned the trust of people across this state who believe in a tough, fair, and independent judiciary and I promise to never forget these principles as their Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice.

“I also want to thank my family, including my two kids, my parents, my siblings, and all my friends and supporters. I especially want to thank my staff for their tireless efforts.

“Although we were successful in this race, the circumstances under which this election was conducted were simply unacceptable, and raise serious concerns for the future of our democracy. Nobody in this state or in this country should have been forced to choose between their safety and participating in an election. Too many were unable to have their voices heard because they didn’t feel safe leaving their home or their absentee ballots weren’t counted. Wisconsinites showed their resiliency by overcoming many of the barriers created by the legislature and the courts to try and silence voters in this state, but nobody should ever be denied their right to vote.

“Over the past several months I’ve talked about the need to restore the public’s confidence in our judicial system. With this victory, I look forward to the opportunity to show, with my actions on the court, that we have a judiciary that is following the rule of law and applying it fairly to everyone in our state. Now, more than ever, we need to instill confidence in our institutions and I’m honored to be a part of that.”