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• State Supreme Court justice Louis Butler will face Burnett County Circuit Judge in April
• Mayor Tom Barrett will run against Marquette Law School graduate Andrew Shaw
• State Sen. Lena Taylor will oppose County Executive Scott Walker
• Ald. Michael McGee will try gain reelection from jail

Voters, get ready. The April 1 election is just more than two months away.

Although there are no presidential races on the ballot, and almost every race features an incumbent, there should be at least one contestable race.

State

Supreme Court Justice

In the only statewide race, incumbent Justice Louis Butler will run against Burnett County Circuit Judge Michael Gableman for a 10-year seat on the state Supreme Court.

Gov. Jim Doyle appointed Butler to the court in 2004 and Butler became the first black state Supreme Court justice.

Gableman was appointed Ashland County District Attorney in 1999 and then to the Burnett County Circuit Court in 2002.

This race could get ugly, said Barry Burden, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Voters aren't as familiar with these candidates, he said, and advertising can significantly change the outcome of the race.

PantherTalk Live, an online talk show hosted by Kyle Duerstein, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student, held a debate Tuesday night between Butler and Gableman.

"Special interests and ideological extremists are spending millions of dollars in an attempt to take over our courts," Butler said on the program. "Judges must be fair, neutral, detached and impartial in every single case."

Gableman used his background as a prosecutor to differentiate himself from Butler, who was a criminal defense lawyer.

Milwaukee County

Milwaukee elections this year could be tame, said Thomas Holbrook, a UW-Milwaukee political science professor.

"[Local elections] tend to be low-interest, low-information. That really favors the incumbent. I think that's what we'll see here," he said.

The three major county races all feature incumbents. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, County Executive Scott Walker and Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley will all run to defend their seats.

In the Common Council races, the Third District aldermanic seat is open and one alderman has the chance to be re-elected from jail.

Milwaukee Mayor

Only one candidate will challenge Barrett, who is seeking his second four-year term.

Attorney and 1992 Marquette Law School graduate Andrew Shaw is running against Barrett and will try to become the first Asian-American Milwaukee mayor.

Holbrook said Shaw faces an uphill battle and Barrett is likely to win because of his incumbent status.

Milwaukee County Executive

Walker will also seek his second four-year term in office. His challenger, state Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), could pose a problem for Walker, a former state legislator, Holbrook said.

With the economic downturn in the county, it is possible voters will tire of him in upcoming elections, Holbrook said.

Milwaukee City Attorney

Langley and state Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) will face off for a four-year term as Milwaukee City Attorney. Langley has held the position since 1984.

Holbrook said the city attorney race could be the most contestable race in the county.

"[Colon's] the type of challenger who could upset an incumbent," Holbrook said.

He said Colon's popularity and experience bode well for the candidate, who was the first Latino elected to State Assembly in 1998.

Milwaukee Common Council

In one of the most interesting races on the ballot, Alderman Michael McGee Jr., of the Sixth District, north of Marquette, could gain re-election from behind bars, Holbrook said.

McGee is currently awaiting trial for numerous charges for allegedly conspiring to have a man beaten, buying votes and shaking down local businesses.

Ten challengers are fighting for McGee's seat, including ViAnna Jordan, the organizer of a 2007 recall campaign against the alderman. McGee won the special election held last April and was allowed to keep his Common Council seat.

Eight candidates are vying for the job of Third District alderman, a position currently held by Alderman Mike D'Amato, who plans to resign.

Holbrook said Sam McGovern-Rowen, a legislative aid to the Third District, should be the frontrunner coming out of the Feb. 19 primary but will face fierce competition in the April election.

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