Greg Sargent writes:

To understand the significance of the victory that liberals just pulled off in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, a win largely driven by abortion rights, consider what is set to happen some 1,100 miles from Madison: In coming weeks, Republicans in Florida’s state capital of Tallahassee are expected to ban abortions after a mere six weeks.

Liberal Janet Protasiewicz was elected to Wisconsin’s high court Tuesday night by 55 percent to 45 percent over rival Daniel Kelly. That stunning margin in a razor-close swing state — delivering liberals control of the court as it prepares to consider a state abortion ban — suggests abortion rights will continue to be a winning issue when on the ballot.

But this becomes more significant with 2024 GOP hopefuls such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lurching in the opposite direction. DeSantis is expected to sign that six-week abortion ban, and many other Republican state governments are moving to further restrict abortion rights — even as this has again proved a huge political loser.

The Wisconsin results suggest a trend that developed in the 2022 midterm elections will continue. Candidates who stood up for abortion rights — and emphasized that protecting democracy is critical to safeguarding those rights — defeated anti-choice, election-denying MAGA candidates everywhere. [Continue reading…]