Allegations of partisanship in the state Supreme Court race intensified Wednesday as Judge Michael Gableman's campaign accused a state
watchdog group of bias.
The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee is a group started by several legal experts who previously stated they wanted the Supreme Court race to be less dominated by special interests than in 2007.
Gableman campaign spokesperson Darrin Schmitz said in a release the committee was ""purposefully hostile to Judge Gableman?""
He said e-mails obtained in an open-record request show a committee member, Bill Kraus, saying that an ad by the lobbyist group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce could inadvertently help the Butler campaign. The WMC supports Gableman.
Schmitz said he hoped the committee would ""stand down"" from participating in the race.
Tom Basting, chair of the WJCIC and president of the Wisconsin State Bar, said in a statement the accusations of helping the Butler campaign are ""patently false."" He said the Gableman campaign has also not signed a ""Code of Judicial Conduct"" for the race.
Incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler is running against Gableman for a 10-year term on the court.
