The Wisconsin Primary Results Are In

Beth Baumann | April 13, 2020 8:32 PM

The primary results from Wisconsin are finally trickling in, almost a week after the Badger State cast their ballots.

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary for president with 63 percent of the vote, compared to Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) 30 percent.

Democrat Jill Karofsky won the State Supreme Court seat, even though President Donald Trump endorsed her opponent, Republican Daniel Kelly. She won with 53 percent of the vote, compared to Kelly's 46 percent.

Karofsky was elated to win her seat, but wasn't happy about the way the election took place.

"Although we were successful in this race, the circumstances in which this election was conducted were simply unacceptable, and raise serious concerns for the future of our democracy. Nobody in this state or this country should have to be forced to choose between their safety and participating in an election," she said in a statement. "Too many were unable to have their voices heard because they didn't feel safe leaving their home or their absentee ballots weren't counted. Wisconsinites showed their resiliency by overcoming many of the barriers created by the legislature and the courts to try and silence voters in this state, but nobody should ever be denied their right to vote."

The election was riddled with issues. Gov. Tony Evers (D) issued an executive order the day before the primary, saying it was being postponed until June 9th amidst the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court overturned Evers' decision, saying Tuesday's primary election had to move forward, including in-person voting.

Part of Evers' order was to extend absentee voting until June 9th. He wanted all absentee and vote-by-mail ballots mailed between April 6th and June 9th to be counted. A lower court didn't completely agree with his timeframe and instead ordered that absentee voting had to be extended until April 13th, giving voters extra time to mail in their ballots.

The United States Supreme Court overturned the absentee voting portion of his order, saying absentee ballots that are postmarked after the primary date cannot be accepted and counted.