Trump Blasts 'Foolish' GOP Ex-Justice for Not Seeking His Endorsement

Former President Donald Trump is lashing out at failed conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Daniel Kelly, arguing that the ex-justice was "foolish" for not seeking his endorsement.

Kelly lost by a wide margin to Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, the liberal-leaning candidate, in a crucial election Tuesday night. Kelly, who was previously appointed to the states's highest court by Republican ex-Governor Scott Walker, also lost a bid to be elected to the court in 2020—when he was endorsed by the former president.

Tuesday's election outcome tilted the ideological makeup of Wisconsin Supreme Court from conservative to liberal. It is likely to have long-lasting consequences on politically charged issues like abortion rights, election laws and partisan redistricting efforts.

Despite Kelly having already lost one election with his backing, Trump insisted in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that the ex-justice's choice to not seek his endorsement for a second time made all the difference in the outcome of this year's contest.

"Daniel Kelly of Wisconsin just lost his Supreme Court Election," Trump wrote. "He bragged that he won't seek Trump's Endorsement, so I didn't give it—which guaranteed his loss. How foolish is a man that doesn't seek an Endorsement that would have won him the Election?"

After more than 95 percent of the vote had been tallied as of Wednesday evening, Kelly trailed Protasiewicz by 11 percent, according to The New York Times. With Trump's endorsement in 2020, he lost by a very similar 10.6 percent margin to liberal Justice Jill Karofsky.

In an interview with NBC News last month, Kelly said that he was "not looking for" Trump's endorsement in his second bid to be elected to the court, expressing concerns about "what message that would be sending" to voters.

Regardless, Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., offered an impassioned last-minute plea to Wisconsin "MAGA patriots" on Tuesday, warning that the court would fall to "the radical left" if they did not vote for Kelly.

"MAGA patriots in Wisconsin - Get out and VOTE for Daniel Kelly tonight," Trump Jr. tweeted. "We can't afford to lose the Wisconsin Supreme Court to the radical left. Polls close at 8pm CST. Let's send these corrupt Dems a message at the ballot box tonight and again in 2024! Vote!!!"

Mark Shanahan, associate professor of politics at the U.K.'s University of Surrey and co-editor of The Trump Presidency: From Campaign Trail to World Stage, told Newsweek that Kelly's loss could signal that voters are "moving on from Trumpism."

"The voters of Wisconsin were making a quiet statement that the country is slowly moving on from Trumpism," Shanahan said. "Protasiewicz's victory in the Supreme Court race running on a liberal platform lays down a marker in a state that will be crucial in the 2024 presidential race."

"In tipping the court's partisan lean from conservative to liberal, Protasiewicz may become the key figure in any potential redistricting, plus, very pertinently, any likely challenges to the 2024 results," he added.

While Kelly did not emulate the former president by refusing to acknowledge his election loss on Tuesday, he did raise some eyebrows with an emotional attack on Protasiewicz after his defeat, saying that his liberal opponent had not been "worthy."

"I wish that in a circumstance like this, I would be able to concede to a worthy opponent," Kelly said. "But I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede."

"We had this laid out plainly for us: We had the rule of law, or the rule of Janet," he continued. "And the people of Wisconsin have chosen the rule of Janet."

Newsweek has reached out online to the Kelly campaign for comment.