MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The liberal candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race conceded Wednesday, deciding against a recount eight days after the election showed her conservative opponent ahead by 6,000 votes in a race seen as an early measure of a key battleground in the 2020 presidential campaign. Lisa Neubauer’s concession to Brian Hagedorn means the conservative majority on the court will increase from 4-3 to 5-2 when he takes the seat in August. Conservatives will hold control until at least 2023, denying liberals a change to take the majority in next year’s election. The Hagedorn win also gives Republicans a boost of confidence heading into the 2020 presidential election year, with his victory coming after a string of stinging losses last year. Republicans and Democrats alike pointed to the thin margin as a sign of how hotly contested Wisconsin will be in 2020. The tight race came after Republican Scott Walker lost the governor’s race by just over a point in 2018 and President Donald Trump carried Wisconsin by just under a point in 2016.
