MADISON -- As expected, liberal incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis B. Butler has outraised his conservative opponent by a large margin two months from a crucial general election.

But the real fundraising race is just now getting started for a spot that could finally cement a right-tilting majority on the SC, currently balanced 3-3 with one swing vote.

Butler's campaign had almost $252,000 on hand through Feb. 4 compared to opponent Michael Gableman's $85,000, an understandable gap considering Butler's several-month head start. Butler, like Gableman, faced no opposition at his party's primary elections, LNL reported last month.

But considering what's at stake, both candidates are certain to attract several times more than that in non-campaign interest-group ad spending. Last year's Wisconsin SC race between liberal Linda Clifford and eventual victor Annette Ziegler cost a total of $6 million, most of it spent on television advertising by third-party interests.

Popular displeasure with that campaign's record-breaking spending spurred calls for public-financing of SC elections. Those calls are sure to return if Butler v. Gableman becomes a big-spending slugfest.