Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Karofsky, Kelly emerge from Wisconsin Supreme Court primary
R.J. Constantini signs in to vote at the Hurley City Hall Tuesday evening. Poll workers from left are June Calvetti and Sharon Stuhr. Hurley's four precincts totaled 236 voters by 7 p.m. in the primary election. Polls were open until 8.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley - Republican Tom Tiffany and Democratic Tricia Zunker both carried Iron County on the way to their respective primary victories Tuesday night, setting up a contest in May between the two to determine who will represent Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District.
Tiffany defeated Jason Church by a total of 556 votes to 233 votes in Iron County on the way to his victory in the district's Republican primary, while Iron County Democrats went for Zunker over Lawrence Dale 405 votes to 63 votes in that contest.
With approximately 94% of the district's votes reported, Wisconsin Public Radio reported Zunker took 88.8% of the district's votes in her primary race, with Tiffany winning his race with 57.1% of the district's Republican voters to Church's 42.9%.
The winner of the May 12 special election between Tiffany and Zunker will replace former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, who represented the 7th District for nearly eight years before retiring this past September to spend more time with his family. He and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, were reality TV personalities who met on MTV's "The Real World."
Outside groups spent at a record clip on behalf of both Church and Tiffany, making it the most expensive congressional primary in state history.
Tiffany, 62, is running as a proven conservative who voted as a member of the Legislature to advance Walker's agenda, including his signature law that ended collective bargaining for public workers. He also authored a contentious bill that dramatically relaxed the state's iron mining regulations, drawing the ire of environmentalists.
Both Republicans in the primary tied themselves closely to President Donald Trump, who carried the 7th by 20 points in 2016, meaning Tiffany emerges as the heavy favorite to win the seat. The winner in May will have to run for re-election again in November.
Zunker, who doubles as a justice on the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court, is looking to become the first American Indian to represent Wisconsin in Congress.
State Supreme Court race
Incumbent Justice Dan Kelly and Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky emerged from a three-way state Supreme Court primary Tuesday, besting Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone to advance to the April general election.
Kelly received the most votes in Iron County, receiving 684 votes to Karofsky's 415. Fallone received 108 votes in the county. With over 97% of precincts reporting their votes, Wisconsin Public Radio reported Kelly received approximately 50% of the vote statewide and Karofsky received 37.3%.
The top two vote-getters earned the right to appear on the April 7 ballot with a 10-year term at stake.
The Supreme Court race is officially nonpartisan but Kelly is part of the court's five-member conservative majority. Republicans have thrown their support behind him after then-Gov. Scott Walker appointed him to the bench in 2016 to replace the retiring David Prosser.
Karofsky is a Dane County judge who worked as a crime victim advocate for the state Justice Department. Liberals have thrown their support behind her.
The race has been marked by Kelly and Karofsky's increasingly bitter sparring. Karofsky has accused Kelly of being corrupt, saying he constantly rules in favor of conservative groups. Kelly has insisted that he uses "rigorous logic" to arrive at his rulings and Karofsky is slandering him.
Kelly built an enormous fund-raising advantage over both challengers, generating nearly $1 million over the last 13 months. Karofsky raised almost $414,000 during that span. Fallone had just under $172,000.
The race won't change the court's ideological leaning but a Kelly defeat would shave the conservative majority to 4-3 and give liberals a chance to take over in 2023.
Tuesday's vote totals in Iron County remain unofficial until the official canvass is completed, according to Iron County Clerk Mike Saari, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday morning.
Editor's Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.
