1995 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
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April 4, 1995
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 County results Bradley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Crooks: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1995 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on April 4, 1995 to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The Incumbent justice, Chief Justice Nathan Heffernan, retired after nearly 31 years on the court. Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are considered nonpartisan, Heffernan was identified as a liberal and voted with other liberals on the court.[1] Wisconsin circuit court judge Ann Walsh Bradley (a liberal) defeated fellow circuit court judge N. Patrick Crooks (a conservative).
Candidates
Advanced
- Ann Walsh Bradley, Circuit court judge for the Marathon County circuit, branch 3[2]
- N. Patrick Crooks, Circuit court judge for the Brown County circuit, branch 6
Eliminated in primary
- William A. Pangman, attorney
- Patience D. Roggensack, attorney
- Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr., district 1 judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals (1982–88; since 1992)[3][4]
Declined
- Nathan Heffernan, incumbent justice
Primary campaign
Bradley, a liberal with bipartisan support, attempted to maintain a level of political independence in her campaign. She criticized Crooks' campaign for emphasizing his endorsements from Republican governor Tommy Thompson and members of his administration.[5] In response, Bradley touted her own set of bipartisan support and endorsements, which included former Democratic governor Tony Earl and Sue Ann Thompson – Tommy Thompson's wife. In addition, Bradley criticized attempts to polarize the race along party lines, arguing that the most qualified person should be the one to get the nomination.[5]
Primary results
- Bradley—30–40%
- Bradley—40–50%
- Bradley—50–60%
- Bradley—60–70%
- Bradley—70–80%
- Bradley—80–90%
- Crooks—30–40%
- Crooks—40–50%
- Crooks—60–70%
- Wedemeyer—30–40%
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Walsh Bradley | 131,889 | 38.85% | |
| N. Patrick Crooks | 88,913 | 26.19% | |
| Ted E. Wedemeyer Jr. | 64,668 | 19.05% | |
| Patience D. Roggensack | 41,303 | 12.16% | |
| William A. Pangman | 12,753 | 3.76% | |
| Total votes | 339,526 | 100.0% | |
General election
General campaign
After advancing to the general election, Bradley reiterated her desire to see the race politicized by her opponents.[7] During the campaign, Bradley was identified as a liberal and had gained the endorsements of several liberal judges in the state. During the campaign, Crooks identified himself as a conservative, and was aligned with Republicans, who worked on his campaign.[7]
Bradley was endorsed by the outgoing justice, Heffernan.[8]
The following year, the editorial board of the La Crosse Tribune summarized the general election campaign,
Ann Walsh Bradley had sewn up, early in the campaign, an impressive list of endorsements from across the political spectrum: judges, police, labor, business, legislators and leaders from both political parties. So Crooks took a hard right after the primaries and his campaign blurred the lines between the judicial and the political, employing the term "conservative" – a legitimate description of Crooks' judicial philosophy – in a blatant attempt to round up the Republican vote. The strategy failed.[9]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Walsh Bradley | 514,588 | 54.82% | N/A | |
| N. Patrick Crooks | 424,110 | 45.18% | N/A | |
| Majority | 90,478 | 9.64% | ||
| Total votes | 938,698 | 100.0% | ||