Live Results: Elections for Wisconsin Supreme Court, Chicago Mayor Headline a Busy Tuesday

Two of the most important elections of 2023 will reach their conclusion Tuesday. In Wisconsin, the ideological lean of the Supreme Court is on the line. Meanwhile, residents of Chicago will choose between two Democrats on either side of that party's political spectrum.

Several other cities are holding mayoral elections or primaries. There is also a competitive State Senate special election in Wisconsin. Additionally, toward the bottom of this article, we've included links to results for some Wisconsin ballot measures as well as a high profile City Council Special Election in Los Angeles.

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Conservative justice Patience Roggensack did not stand for reelection. She is completing her second ten-year term, during which she served six years (ending in 2021) as the Chief Justice. The other six members of the court are split evenly between progressives and conservatives. As a result, this election has drawn national attention (and spending), with some calling it the most important election of the year.

Milwaukee County Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly were the top two finishers in the February 18 primary which featured two liberal and two conservative candidates. Protasiewicz, a liberal, received 46% of the vote, while the conservative Kelly got 24%. However, the aggregate vote hewed more closely to the narrow partisan split in the state, with progressive votes totaling 54% to 46% for the conservatives. 

The outcome may foreshadow how the Court will rule on issues that could come before it over the next couple years. These include abortion rights, legislative gerrymandering and challenges around the 2024 presidential election.

Additional reading: Associated Press, FiveThirtyEight, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Vox Media, Split Ticket

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)

Chicago Mayor

As no candidate received a majority of the vote in the February 28 primary, the top two finishers will meet Tuesday to determine the next mayor of the nation's 3rd largest city. Paul Vallas led the primary with 33%, while Brandon Johnson finished second at 22%. Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot was ousted, finishing third with 17% of the vote.

While both finalists are Democrats, they come from opposite ends of the party's political spectrum. The New York Times has individually profiled Vallas and Johnson in recent days. Both have been heavily involved in public education during their careers: Vallas as an administrator across multiple school systems, Johnson a teacher and organizer for the Teacher's Union. 

Their differing philosophies extend to crime, the hot button issue that likely cost Lightfoot her job. Racial divides will also come into play; the more progressive Johnson is Black, while Vallas, the moderate Democrat, is White. The election could be decided by Latinos, who make up about 20% of registered voters in the city.

The final two public polls of the election, from Victory Research and Emerson College, showed Vallas with a narrow lead.

Additional reading: Associated Press, FiveThirtyEight

Polls close at 8:00 PM ET.

Other Mayoral Elections

In addition to Chicago, five of the nation's 100 most populous cities will hold mayoral elections or primaries on Tuesday.^{1 1}City rankings are based on July 1, 2021 Census Bureau population estimates. They are for the city itself, not the associated metropolitan area.

The five cities are ordered by population, starting with the largest - Denver.

Denver

A large field is looking to succeed Democrat Michael Hancock, who is ineligible to run. The election is officially nonpartisan. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote - a virtual certainty - there will be a June 6 runoff between the top two finishers.

The election will be largely conducted by mail, with voting centers available on Election Day. Polls close at 9:00 PM ET.

Kansas City (Primary)

Mayor Quinton Lucas faces little competition as he seeks reelection to a second term. On the nonpartisan primary ballot, his only named challenger is transit activist Clay Chastain, who lives in Virginia. Chastain was also on the mayoral primary ballot in 2015 and 2019. 

As write-in votes are also counted, the top two finishers - presumably Lucas and Chastain - will meet again in the June 20 general election.

Polls close at 8:00 PM ET.

Colorado Springs

Incumbent Republican John Suthers is ineligible to run for a third term. The election is officially nonpartisan. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote - a likely outcome with 12 candidates on the ballot - there will be a May 16 runoff. 

This election is conducted entirely by mail ballot, although drop boxes are available. Regardless of how returned, ballots must be received by 9:00 PM ET.

Lincoln, Nebraska (Primary)

Democratic Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird is seeking a second term. Although the primary is officially nonpartisan, she has two Republican opponents, state Sen. Suzanne Geist and nonprofit executive Stan Parker.  The top two finishers will meet in the May 2 general election. Polls close at 9:00 PM ET.

Madison, Wisconsin

Incumbent Democratic mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and former Madison School Board President Gloria Reyes advanced from the February primary. Polls close at 9:00 PM ET.

Legislative Special Election

Wisconsin State Senate District 8

Republicans hold a large 21-11 lead over Democrats in the Wisconsin State Senate. Members serve four-year staggered terms. The only vacancy is in District 8, where Republican Alberta Darling retired in December. 

A Republican supermajority, lost with Darling's departure, is on the line in this election. The district, encompassing the northern part of the Milwaukee area, is competitive. Darling won reelection by a 54% to 46% margin in 2020.

The nominees are Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl and Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin. Polls close at 9:00 PM ET.

Wisconsin Ballot Initiatives

In addition to the Supreme Court election, Wisconsin voters will be presented with three ballot initiatives. While we're not actively following the issues, we will have the results.

Los Angeles City Council District 6 Special Election

We don't cover city council races, but the background story here received a lot of attention last fall. The District 6 incumbent at that time, Nury Martinez was also the Council President. She stepped down as President and subsequently resigned after a leaked audiotape where she and two other Councilmembers made racist remarks. 

One of the others, Kevin de Leon, remains in the Council despite repeated calls for his resignation. A recent recall effort failed to get enough signatures to proceed. The third member, Gil Cedillo, lost a reelection bid. 

There are seven candidates on the ballot. If nobody gets a majority of the vote, there will be a top two runoff in June.

You can find the results at the LA County Election Site beginning after 11:00 PM ET.

Upcoming Elections

Special Elections

• May 2
  • Massachusetts State House Districts Suffolk 9 and 10 (Primary)
    • General is May 30
• May 16
  • Kentucky Primary
  • Florida State House District 24
  • Georgia State House District 68
  • Kentucky State Senate District 28
  • New Hampshire State House District Hillsborough 3
  • Pennsylvania State House Districts 108 and 163

Mayoral

• May 2
  • Columbus, Ohio (Primary)
  • Fort Wayne, Indiana (Primary)
  • Indianapolis, Indiana (Primary)
  • Lincoln, Nebraska
• May 6
  • Texas:  Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, Irving, Plano, San Antonio
• May 16
  • Jacksonville, Florida (Runoff)
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Primary)

Other Important Dates

• June 6
  • New Jersey Primary
• June 20
  • Virginia Primary
• August 8
  • Mississippi Primary