In Final Hours, Prosser Makes His Case: ‘David versus the Wisconsin Left’

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National Review:

Green Lake, Wis. — On the frozen lip of sprawling Big Green Lake, local Republicans gathered in a small hotel ballroom this afternoon for their annual Lincoln Day dinner. Mark Slate, a 39 year-old candidate for county judge, was decked in a stovepipe hat, but the real attraction was state supreme-court justice David Prosser, who gave a rousing speech, urging conservatives to support him on Tuesday, when he faces JoAnne Kloppenburg, an environmental lawyer, at the polls.

In his remarks, Prosser noted that the race has gone national. Union-friendly groups are pouring millions into the contest, hoping to tilt the ideological balance of the bench to the left. If Prosser is defeated, Gov. Scott Walker’s budget-repair bill could face a rocky future, since a state appellate panel has asked the high court to weigh in on the legislation’s legality.

“Seven weeks ago, this looked like a very sleepy campaign,” Prosser said. “This race is now the most significant judicial race in the country. It is full of symbolism.”

“What is capturing national attention is the fact that one candidate is trying to ride a wave to the Wisconsin supreme court on behalf of resentment against another political figure, and resentment against a piece of legislation that is likely to come before the court,” he continued. “This is the wrong way to determine who should serve on the supreme court for the next ten years.”