Liberal candidates who will challenge Judge Daniel Kelly for a seat on the state Supreme Court in 2020 criticized the conservative-controlled court at the state Dem convention. Jill Karofsky, a Dane County judge and former prosecutor, said the legal system had become “increasingly politicized” by the conservative majority. “The rule of law has been ignored for partisan political reasons,” she said. She also slammed “a radical minority” of GOP leggies for proposals she said would place unlawful restrictions on abortion. “I’m astonished that our fundamental rights as women are still under assault,” she said. Fellow candidate Ed Fallone, meanwhile, hammered

Dem activists re-elected Meg Andrietsch as secretary and Randy Udell as treasurer after they were unopposed for another two-year term. Andrietsch was appointed to the office in September 2010 and then won her first two-year term in 2011, winning re-election since. Udell won his first term in 2015.

Rep. David Bowen touted his work over the past four years as the party’s vice chair as he made a pitch to activists to elevate him to the chair’s office in Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, former MoveOn.org senior adviser Ben Wikler told Dems his work to fight against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would serve as a model for how he would lead the party in seeking to beat Donald Trump in Wisconsin next year, win a state Supreme Court seat and take back the Legislature. The two laid out their visions for activists on the eve of the

The state Dem Party is barring WisPolitics.com from conducting its convention straw poll this year, citing DNC rules. WisPolitics.com conducted a straw poll at last year’s convention with 789 delegates, alternates and registered guests indicating their preference for guv. But national party rules prohibit them in the presidential race, a state party spokeswoman said. The party had informed WisPolitics.com ahead of the convention that national party rules prohibit straw polls. But the political news service decided to try approaching delegates to ask their preference rather than conducting a poll at a convention table as it traditionally does. A state Dem

Supreme Court candidates Ed Fallone and Jill Karofsky will address the Dem state convention this weekend. Their appearance comes after the party was sharply critical of Justice-elect Brian Hagedorn speaking to the GOP convention earlier this month in Oshkosh, where he thanked activists for their support and told them they “saved” the state Supreme Court. Party spokeswoman Courtney Beyer called it “highly inappropriate” for an elected judge to speak at a blatantly partisan event. Asked about that stance when Fallone and Karofsky will address the Dem convention, Beyer said the party maintains its “belief that having an elected, soon-to-be sitting Supreme Court justice speak at an explicitly partisan