Janet Protasiewicz is a threat in the eyes of Republicans. The Wisconsin judge speaks openly about the importance of women’s rights, unions and election integrity. But voters in her state liked Protasiewicz’s attitude, and when the then-district judge in Milwaukee ran for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April of this year, they gave her victory over her right-wing competitor Dan Kelly by a vote of 1,021,370 to 818,286. the Republican favorite. Protasiewicz’s lead of 11 percentage points in the officially non-partisan contest was seen as a blow in the swing state, where presidential elections are regularly decided by razor-thin majorities.

Republicans in Wisconsin view Protasiewicz’s election victory as a democracy meltdown and are threatening drastic steps.

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