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      MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A conservative justice has weathered
attempts to link him to Wisconsin's governor and a divisive union
rights law and won re-election, according to county vote totals
finalized Friday.


      Tallies from each of the state's 72 counties show Justice David
Prosser defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes.
State election officials said they will wait to declare an official
winner until the deadline for Kloppenburg to seek a recount passes.
She has until Wednesday to call for one.


      Kloppenburg's and Prosser's campaigns had no immediate comment.


      Kloppenburg faced an uphill fight against Prosser, a 12-year
court veteran and former Republican Assembly speaker. But she got a
boost in the weeks leading up to the election as her supporters
worked to turn anger against Gov. Scott Walker and the union rights
law against Prosser.


      The law, which Walker wrote, strips most public sector workers
of nearly all their collective bargaining rights. It also requires
them to contribute more to their health care and pensions, changes
that will result in an average 8 percent pay cut.


      Walker, a Republican, has said the law is needed to help balance
the state budget and give local governments the flexibility they
need to absorb deep cuts in state aid. Democrats see it as an
assault on unions, which are among the party's strongest campaign
allies.


      Tens of thousands of people converged on the state Capitol for
weeks to protest and minority Democrats in the Senate fled the
state in a futile attempt to block a vote in that chamber. The law
is currently tied up in the courts and hasn't taken effect. Those
legal challenges look destined for the state Supreme Court.


      The law's opponents hoped a Kloppenburg upset over Prosser would
tilt the court to the left and set the stage for the justices to
overturn the measure.


      Turnout in the April 5 election shattered expectations.
Unofficial returns from election night initially showed Kloppenburg
had bested Prosser by 204 votes. Kloppenburg declared victory on
April 6, but the next day the Waukesha County clerk announced she
had forgotten to save 14,000 votes on her computer. Those new votes
tipped the election to Prosser, giving him an unofficial 7,500 vote
lead.


      The clerk, Kathy Nickolaus, worked for Prosser as a member of
the Assembly Republican caucus in the mid-1990s. Democrats have
demanded she resign, and authorities launch an investigation into
why she didn't immediately report the votes. State election
officials are reviewing Nickolaus' operations, but she has refused
to step down, saying she made an honest mistake.
      
      

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Politics and Government News

A conservative justice has weathered
attempts to link him to Wisconsin's governor and a divisive union
rights law and won re-election, according to county vote totals
finalized Friday.

Canvass shows conservative wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race

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