Conservatives came up short in their bid to keep the Wisconsin Supreme Court slanted in their favor, but elsewhere in the swing state, they appeared to do much better following Tuesday’s elections.
According to reports, Wisconsin Republicans in the Senate have gathered enough votes to override Gov. Tony Evers. Republican Dan Knodl ended Tuesday night with a lead of nearly 1,000 votes over his Democratic opponent, Jodi Habush Sinykin.
With 99% of the votes counted, Knodl had 38,594 votes, while Habush Sinykin had 37,208. If Knodl’s victory is confirmed, Republicans will have a supermajority in the Wisconsin Senate, which would give them enough votes to remove some of Evers’ cabinet secretaries and override his vetoes, The Center Square reported.
“A spokesperson for Habush Sinykin said the margin is too close, and said they are not ready to concede in the race,” the outlet added.
Voters overwhelmingly approved two constitutional amendments related to bail reform. The first amendment allows judges to detain individuals accused of serious, violent crimes and to set higher bail amounts.
The second amendment allows judges to consider factors beyond just the likelihood of the accused returning to court. Both amendments were passed with approximately 67% and 68% of the vote, respectively.
The changes to the state constitution were prompted by concerns over the effectiveness of the state’s cash bail system, particularly following the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack, the outlet reported further.
The approved changes will now be implemented, but there is some uncertainty surrounding them. The Republican-led legislature recently passed a bill to define the terms “serious bodily harm” and “violent crime,” which are included in the constitutional amendments. However, it is not clear whether Evers will sign that legislation.
Approximately 80% of voters in Wisconsin supported the advisory question on Tuesday’s ballot which asked whether “able-bodied, childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded benefits?”
“The vote doesn’t really matter. State law will not change, and anyone receiving public benefits in Wisconsin will not need to find a job. The question was advisory only,” The Center Square noted, though, still, ‘workfare,’ as it has been dubbed in the past, is definitely a conservative value.
Despite the other victories, others were upset the GOP establishment did not do more to help the conservative Supreme Court candidate.
“We couldn’t mobilize votes or even $10 million for a CRITICAL race in Wisconsin. We’re going to get our doors blown off in 2024. It will be worse than last time. And in the end, it will be a good thing. We need more pain. We aren’t in enough pain yet to improve,” noted The FirstTV host Jesse Kelly.
We couldn’t mobilize votes or even $10 million for a CRITICAL race in Wisconsin.
We’re going to get our doors blown off in 2024. It will be worse than last time. And in the end, it will be a good thing. We need more pain. We aren’t in enough pain yet to improve. https://t.co/KVwsMVgUON
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 5, 2023
