MADISON -- The 4-3 majority previously held by the left on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has shifted dramatically to the right following yesterday's statewide vote.

Conservative-backed circuit judge Michael J. Gableman suprisingly defeated liberal-leaning incumbent SC Justice Louis B. Butler in a narrow 51-49 vote following a contentious campaign.

Butler had been sitting on the SC since his appointment in 2004 and had been widely tipped to hold his seat. Gableman was elected Burnett County Circuit Court Judge in 2003 with 78 percent of the vote.

The state's Judicial Commission received complaints against both candidates for their campaign advertising and more than $4 million was estimated to have been spent by outside interest groups. One attack ad by the Gableman camp linking Butler to a freed sex criminal was especially controversial.

Gableman's election win is the second inside a year by conservative-backed candidates over more liberal rivals in Wisconsin. Annette Ziegler last April defeated Linda Clifford in a race also marred by accusations that heavy ad spending discolored the camapaign. That result maintained the left's advantage on the SC at 4-3.

The most recent campaign and aftermath is likely to add muscle to the push for more public financing of future Wisconsin SC election campaigns. That effort is currently working its way through the statehouse.