Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler Running Unopposed

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler will run unopposed for another 10-year term on the court after nobody filed paperwork to challenge her ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

Ziegler is part of the court’s 5-2 conservative majority. Her first state Supreme Court race against Linda Clifford in 2007 marked the beginning of big money in Wisconsin Supreme Court politics, especially among third-party groups.

Most elections since have followed a similar trend, and while not all have been close, they’ve at least been contested. The fact Democrats did not field an opponent against Ziegler underscores the difficulty they’ve had defeating Republican-backed candidates for this officially nonpartisan office.

When Ziegler hinted in September at her plans to seek another term on the court, she had already raised more than $200,000 for the campaign. She also touted endorsements from former Gov. Tommy Thompson and Mike Grebe, the former president of the conservative Bradley Foundation.

Ziegler reported turning in nearly 4,000 nomination signatures Tuesday, nearly twice as many as needed. Assuming they’re approved, she’ll be on the ballot in April.

Three more Wisconsin Supreme Court races are on the horizon. Justice Michael Gableman, another member of the court’s conservative majority, is up for re-election in 2018. Justice Shirley Abrahamson, one of the court’s two liberals, is up for re-election in 2019. And Justice Daniel Kelly, whom Gov. Scott Walker appointed to the bench last year, will face his first election in 2020.