UPDATE at 10:40 p.m. CST on Feb. 21, 2023: Dan Kelly and Janet Protasiewicz will face off in the April 4 general election, with Protasiewicz winning over 46 percent of the vote and Kelly holding off a strong challenge from Jennifer Dorow to take second place and qualify.
- JANET PROTASIEWICZ: 445,196 votes
- DAN KELLY: 232,315 votes
- JENNIFER DOROW: 209,586 votes
- EVERETT MITCHELL: 71,738 votes
Click here for complete Primary Election Results.
DAN KELLY JOINS STEVE SCAFFIDI ON MORNING AFTER ADVANCING TO WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT GENERAL ELECTION
On the morning after securing second place in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary, Kelly appeared on The Steve Scaffidi Show to discuss Jennifer Dorow’s gracious concession, the role of a Supreme Court justice vs. the role of a legislator, and what he considers to be a “platform of dishonesty” from his co-finalist, Janet Protasiewicz. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE!
MADISON, Wis. — Following the February 21 nonpartisan primary to determine its final two candidates, Wisconsin will officially vote for its next Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Leading into the primary, there are four candidates for the esteemed position: Jennifer Dorow, Daniel Kelly, Everett Mitchell and Janet Protasiewicz.
The seat on Wisconsin’s highest court opened when Justice Patience Roggensack announced that she would not seek re-election and instead retire from the position she held since 2003.
WTMJ’s Steve Scaffidi has contacted all four candidates for interviews live on his program. Kelly was the first to make an appearance on Feb. 2, 2023 followed by Dorow on Feb. 7 and Protasiewicz on Friday, Feb. 17 while Mitchell’s office never replied to the request.
This is a developing story. Return to this page on the night of the 21st for breaking updates on the preliminary results.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Jennifer Dorow: A Wisconsin circuit court judge since 2011, Dorow was named the Chief Judge in 2017. Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court is a nonpartisan office, Dorow has identified herself as a conservative in the past. She graduated from Waukesha South High School and Marquette University before receiving her J.D. from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach. Dorow grew in prominence as the presiding judge in the Darrell Brooks trial, in which she sentenced the defendant to life in prison without parole.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly: This isn’t Daniel Kelly’s first rodeo — the self-identified Republican was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by former Gov. Scott Walker from 2016 to 2020. He filled the gap left by former Justice David Prosser and ran for a full term of his own in 2020. Kelly was the leading vote-getter in the 2020 primary, but fell short to Justice Jill Karofsky. He moved to Wisconsin as a young adult to attend Carroll University before receiving his J.A. from Regent University School of Law and returning to Wisconsin for a variety of roles leading up to his 2016 appointment.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz: Since 2014, Protasiewicz has been a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge. She was elected to her role twice following a 25-year career as a prosecutor with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office. Protasiewicz is a self-identified liberal who graduated from UW-Milwaukee and received her law degree from Marquette. She has taken a strong stance regarding the protection of women’s rights in wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade cade.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Everett Mitchell: A Circuit Court Judge out of Dane County, Mitchell holds degrees from Morehouse College, UW-Madison and Princeton Theological Seminary. He is also an ordained minister and a senior pastor at a Madison church. Mitchell has been identified as a liberal candidate. He was elected to the Dane County Circuit Court in 2016 and has since taken on several more roles. Mitchell leads the Dane County High-Risk Drug Court Program and oversees the county’s juvenile division.
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