Butler a Likely Victor over Gableman - Now a Dead Heat

10:05 - Virtual tie with 54 percent in; this will go down to the wire. Live Wisconsin Supreme Court Results.

9:52 - Supreme Court
REPORTING, 45%

Mike Gableman
213,825
51%

Louis Butler (inc)
209,060
49%

9:45 - Butler and Gableman tied. Thirty-six percent in.

Update VII (9:26): Anecdotal reports from Milwaukee are that Butler will win; even conservative commentator Charlie Sykes agrees. It will take another two hours or so for Madison and Milwaukee to report in.

Update VI (8:09): Polls have closed. In our local polling place, Louis Butler has three times the number of votes as Michael Gableman (337 to 137). And Matt Veldran, the liberal in a local Dane County board race has a healthy margin over right-wing Dave Glomp (247 to 193). Veldran wins big.

Update V (3:53): WiscPolitics reports: "In the Republican stronghold of Waukesha, 'the poll workers are waiting for people to show up,' according to deputy clerk Marie Bieber. Waukesha is a populous county that usually gives Republicans an edge near the edge Dane County gives Democrats.

Update IV (2:31): The consensus among a representative group of liberal attorneys in Milwaukee is: "... Bulter will win b/c Gableman was just so outrageous with his malicious attacks."

Update III (2:26): WiscPolitics reports Madison and Milwaukee turning out as expected (pointing to slightly higher-than-the-state-at-large). However, in Madison, most of student turnout typically comes after 3:00 local time, with students sneaking in to vote after and in between classes. Bottom line, Dane and Milwaukee will lead the state in turnout, and Dane and Milwaukee will go heavily for Butler.

Update III (2:07): In Milwaukee, Pedro Colon's (running for City Atty) people hit the high-turnout wards big. His opponent, incumbent Grant Langley, is also a Democrat (a do-nothing Democrat), but the campaigns will help turnout for Butler.

Update II (1:57): Conversation with Dane County Clerk's office just now points to a higher-than-statewide turnout, but not significantly higher. Nothing like the Obama-Hillary February 19 primary turnout.

Update: A ward in Middleton, WI in Dane County reports brisk turn-out at 8:00, an hour after polls opened. Middleton is a largely affluent, professional bedroom community next to Madison. There is a targeted County Board race in Middleton today.

With only some 20 percent of the Wisconsin electorate likely to go the polls, high turn-out Dane (Madison) County and populous Milwaukee County can be expected to leave a big footprint in statewide election results.

That spells trouble for the Republicans in the state Supreme Court race.

The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC)-anointed empty suit, Michael Gableman, will likely be clobbered because of his despicable racist campaign that has revealed Gableman as lacking the intelligence, even a pedestrian comprehension of the role of the state's highest appellate court, and the ethics to sit on the Court as an impartial judge.

Even Wigderson's Library & Pub, a rightwing blog in Waukesha, predicts a Butler win of 55%-45%.

The fetid politics of cynicism are on the run.