MADISON -- Taxpayer-financing of Wisconsin Supreme Court election campaigns inched further forward last week just as an upcoming SC ballot battle became testy.

The Wisconsin senate approved laws last week that would approve the use of about $2.5 million of general public revenue annually to fund SC campaigns. The package of bills drew bipartisan support in the upper chamber on a 23-10 vote.

Gov. Jim Doyle supports public financing of Supreme Court elections and included the issue in a special legislative session he unexpectedly called late last year, LNL reported. The measure now awaits approval from the Republican-controlled Assembly.

The issue could be clouded by what's expected to be a high-spending campaign over the upcoming weeks between incumbent liberal Justice Louis B. Butler and conservative challenger Michael Gableman. It gained traction after last spring's $6 million campaign that resulted in the election of Justice Annette Ziegler.

Gableman this week slammed a judicial watchdog group for showing bias towards his opponent for publicizing the fact that he had not signed its clean campaign pledge, LNL reported. The group had earlier touted Butler's signing of the pledge.