The most important, democracy-testing race of 2023 is happening tomorrow

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     April 3, 2023 Hi, I’m Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones. Donald Trump’s indictment may be capturing the headlines at the moment. But there’s an election in Wisconsin on Tuesday that will render huge—if not equal—consequences for democracy and the 2024 election. It's been dubbed the most important race of 2023—and for good reason. At stake is the balance of power on the state Supreme Court, which could determine the future of redistricting, voting laws, and abortion rights in one of the country’s most critical swing states. I can't overstate how serious this all is. Some background: I’ve been covering Wisconsin for a decade, looking at how the state has been the GOP’s model for [subverting democracy]( through antidemocratic practices like gerrymandering, voter suppression, and lame-duck laws stripping Democrats of power. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has been a key driver of GOP efforts to make their majorities [voter-proof]( and turn the state into what Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, calls “[a democracy-free zone](.” The court came just one vote shy of ruling in favor of Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, which would’ve plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. But if progressive candidate Janet Protasiewicz defeats Daniel Kelly, a former conservative justice who advised the state GOP on a fake elector scheme to nullify Joe Biden’s victory, that will give progressives their first majority on the court since 2008. This might be their best—and perhaps only—chance to roll back the GOP’s decade-plus efforts to [undermine democracy]( in the state, like the heavily [gerrymandered maps]( that have locked in enormous Republican majorities in the legislature and a series of laws that have made it [harder to vote](. The court could also strike down hugely unpopular policies that the GOP-controlled legislature refuses to change, like a [criminal abortion ban]( from 1849 that immediately took effect after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Tomorrow’s election may very well determine if Wisconsin can become a functioning democracy again. And as we all saw in 2020, what happens in Wisconsin goes a long way toward determining what happens nationally. —Ari Berman Advertisement [Farrar Straus & Grioux]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [This Race Could Decide the Fate of Democracy in Wisconsin—and the 2024 Election]( The stakes of the state's Supreme Court election couldn't be higher. BY ARI BERMAN SPONSORED CONTENT BY FARRAR STRAUS AND GIROUX   The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback! It’s time to change the course of human history, starting with the past. “[The Dawn of Everything] took as its immodest goal nothing less than upending everything we think we know about the origins and evolution of human societies.” —New York Times “Iconoclastic and irreverent … an exhilarating read” —The Guardian (UK) [Check it out here.]( [Trending] [John Fetterman on his struggle with depression: "I was indifferent" toward living]( BY ABBY VESOULIS   [Actually, former presidents do get indicted—and not just in "banana republics"]( BY TIM MURPHY   [Harvard environmental law professor draws scrutiny for ties to Big Oil]( BY NINA LAKHANI   [President Biden is skipping King Charles' coronation. Good.]( BY TIM MURPHY Advertisement [Farrar Straus & Giroux]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Rising horror from AR-15s: How a weapon of war has worsened the mass shootings epidemic]( AR-15s, designed for maximum killing in combat, are ever more popular with mass shooters. BY MARK FOLLMAN [Fiercely Independent] The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones' fundraising. We need to raise $300,000 quickly, and we need more online readers to [pitch in]( than have been. You can read more in "[It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal](," where we go into the brutal economics of journalism, and why a strong base of support from readers is the only way we can do the in-depth reporting you get from us. If you can right now, please pitch in and help us do it. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755