Two upcoming state Supreme Court elections in Michigan and Wisconsin are shaping up to be almost as politically charged as the presidential race.
Michigan attorney Matthew DePerno, supporter of the “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, announced his bid last week for a seat on the majority-liberal Michigan Supreme Court — the same court that thwarted Trump’s attempt to stop the certification of Michigan’s results in 2020. The race will take place on Election Day.
DePerno was charged last year with undue possession of a voting machine and other felonies as part of an investigation into voting machine tampering in the state. In announcing his bid, he took aim at “activist judges, prosecutors, and attorney generals” who he claims are using their power to target their political enemies. His sentiments aren’t much different than that of national Republicans railing against the prosecution of Trump.
In Wisconsin, conservative Brad Schimel is hoping to break the court’s liberal majority by prevailing in next year’s race. In his announcement last year, the county judge said taking back the majority is the only way to check the court’s liberal majority.
“This is a battleground state where the state parties and national interests are all working to get an advantage and to set the law in the direction they think is right,” Barry Burden, a political science professor at UW-Madison and director of the Elections Research Center, told Democracy Docket.
Read more about the Wisconsin and Michigan Supreme Court races.