WISCONSIN — With in-person absentee voting beginning Tuesday, ahead of the spring election in Wisconsin on April 4, the long and expensive race to replace conservative Justice Patience Roggensack on the high court is now a sprint to the finish line.

“This election determines the balance of power on the Court,” said Anthony Chergosky, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. “Currently, there is a 4-3 conservative majority on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. There is a conservative justice who is retiring, and that means it could flip to a 4-3 liberal majority.”

The two candidates in the race, conservative former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly and liberal Judge Janet Protasiewicz, debated for a first and likely only time on Tuesday.

“The balance is up for grabs and this election has attracted national attention and record-setting spending,” said Chergosky.

Watch the full interview above.