Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson secured a fourth term on the state Supreme Court Tuesday, defeating her opponent Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick by a margin of 18 percent of the vote.
Abrahamson, 75, was appointed Wisconsin's first female Supreme Court justice in 1976 and is on track to break the record for longest-serving justice on the Court. That record currently stands at 37 years.
At a reception in the Majestic Theater following the release of election results, Abrahamson told supporters Koschnick had just called her to concede the race. She said this election was a race between a campaign that used labels to try to mischaracterize and mislead"" and a campaign that ""emphasized judicial independence and the ideals that bring us together.""
""Wisconsin voters respond positively to a positive campaign. Wisconsin voters would rather vote for something than against something,"" she said.
Abrahamson thanked all her supporters,
volunteers and contributors. Over 5,300 donors made contributions averaging less than $250 a piece, bringing her total campaign funds to well over $1 million.
""Even in the regrettable absence of public financing for judicial campaigns, Wisconsin voters will provide financial support that makes it possible to reach the families of this state with a message about the least known, but hardly the least important branch of government, the judiciary,"" she said.
Healther Colburn, campaign director for Abrahamson, said the campaign staff worked until the polls closed.
""We worked hard to show people what Shirley Abrahamson stands for, and clearly that message resonated with the people of Wisconsin,"" Colburn said.
Koschnick campaigned as the ""judicial conservative"" candidate in opposition to Abrahamson's ""judicial activism,"" but his funds remained significantly lower than Abrahamson's, and he could not attract enough undecided voters through grassroots efforts to unseat the court's chief justice.
""I knew when I entered the race that I would be an underdog. However, I felt it was important for the voters to have a choice, to understand the significant role of the Court as well as the contrast of our different philosophies,"" Koschnick said in a statement, after congratulating Abrahamson for her victory.
