VICTORY IN WISCONSIN – AT 9:32 P.M. ET:  Very few elections for state judges go national, but this one did.  In Wisconsin, an election for the State Supreme court became critical because a win by a liberal challenger could have tilted the court in such a way as to cancel the reforms recently enacted under Republican Governor Scott Walker.  But the challenger has apparently lost.  From Fox:

A conservative justice has weathered attempts to link him to Wisconsin's governor and a divisive union rights law and won re-election, according to county vote totals finalized Friday.

Tallies from each of the state's 72 counties show Justice David Prosser defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes. State election officials said they will wait to declare an official winner until the deadline for Kloppenburg to seek a recount passes. She has until Wednesday to call for one.

A message left with Kloppenburg's campaign wasn't immediately returned.

Kloppenburg faced an uphill fight against Prosser, a 12-year court veteran and former Republican Assembly speaker. But she got a boost in the weeks leading up to the election as her supporters worked to turn anger against Gov. Scott Walker and the union rights law against Prosser.

The law, which Walker wrote, strips most public sector workers of nearly all their collective bargaining rights. It also requires them to contribute more to their health care and pensions, changes that will result in an average 8 percent pay cut.

Walker, a Republican, has said the law is needed to help balance the state budget and give local governments the flexibility they need to absorb deep cuts in state aid. Democrats see it as an assault on unions, which are among the party's strongest campaign allies.

COMMENT:  It's doubtful that a recount could overturn such a large lead.  Walker's reforms seem secure for now.

April 15, 2011