Wisconsin Supreme Court primary: Michael Screnock, Rebecca Dallet advance to April 3 general election

Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet advanced out of Tuesday's primary for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

The result set up a classic, left-right contest in the April 3 general election to replace Justice Michael Gableman, who is part of the 5-2 conservative majority and not seeking re-election.

Screnock is a conservative jurist who received a big financial push from Republicans late in the primary while Dallet courted liberals and moderates.

Madison attorney Tim Burns, who vowed to rule as a "progressive" from the bench, was eliminated.

Screnock piled up huge advantages in Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties and also won handily in Kenosha and Jefferson counties. With most of the ballots counted, he had 46% of the vote.

In Milwaukee County, Dallet won over Screnock while Burns trailed badly. Dallet also overwhelmed Burns in his home of Dane County. Statewide, Dallet had 36% to Burns' 18%.

ELECTION RESULTS: Wisconsin and Milwaukee-area spring primary

Screnock contended Tuesday's results showed voters clearly want justices who are committed to the rule of law and committed to keeping their personal views out of their rulings. He said he would spend the next six weeks contrasting his approach to that of Dallet, whom he dubbed an advocate.

"She's asked voters to vote for her so she can advocate for positions," he said. "It's a platform of being an advocate from the bench."

Dallet expressed confidence that she could gain the support from those who voted for Burns and vowed to "bring back integrity to our courts." And she criticized Screnock for receiving "special interest money" from the Republican Party, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and other conservative groups.

"Judge Screnock is clearly supported by the Republican Party, hashtag Wisconsin right, the recipient of $1 million of special interest money so far and is going to continue to just do the bidding of special interest money and of his political allies," she said.

Burns said he was surprised by the results because people had responded so well when he talked to them about his liberal viewpoint. He said he would spend a couple of days deciding whether to endorse Dallet or stay out of the general election campaign. He said there was no way he would back Screnock.

"I obviously have been pretty vocal about my concerns about the right wing of the Republican Party," he said. "I just disagree so much with (Screnock's) political views. I believe it will impact him as a judge."

Turnout in Supreme Court primaries is typically low. In the past two decades, there have been five of them, with 7.3% of eligible voters turning up at the polls, according to the state Elections Commission.

Despite bad winter weather hitting much of Wisconsin on Tuesday, it appeared turnout was somewhat better than expected.

Burns highlighted his liberal credentials, called himself a Democrat and said he was committed to building a progressive majority on a court. Burns, a partner in the national law firm Perkins Coie, specializes in suing insurance companies.

Dallet, like Burns, spoke at the state Democratic Party's convention last year and has criticized President Donald Trump but has also courted moderate voters. She has been a judge for 10 years and before that was a longtime prosecutor.

Screnock has gotten more than $140,000 in help from the state Republican Party. As an attorney, he helped GOP Gov. Scott Walker in court defend Act 10, the 2011 law that limited collective bargaining for public workers. Walker in 2015 appointed Screnock to the bench.

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Dallet had the financial edge heading into the race, in part because she put $200,000 of her own money into her campaign early on.

Including her own funds, she raised more than $587,000. Burns raised more than $337,000 and Screnock raised more than $318,000, with close to half of that coming from the Republican Party.

The race became heated and personal down the stretch and there was even a war of words on Twitter between Burns and Dallet as the two vied for the same pool of support on the left.

Screnock challenged Burns' position of running as a partisan — although his opponents also accused him of partisanship. For the most part, Screnock sought to remain above the fray, counting on the conservative base to carry him to the general election.

Election 2018: To read full results of Tuesday's primary, go to jsonline.com/results

State Supreme Court

(91% of units reporting)

Michael Screnock (232,078) ✔

Rebecca Dallet (178,825) ✔

Tim Burns (88,190)