MADISON, Wis. — Usually candidates for public office tout organizations endorsing their campaigns. Yet Dan Kelly’s Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign has been curiously silent about the support it is getting from a group that wants to outlaw most common forms of birth control and ban abortion in every circumstance. Last week the group Pro-Life Wisconsin, which demands candidates support the entirety of their agenda in exchange for their official support, announced their endorsement of Dan Kelly as “the only choice” for the state high court.

“It sure looks like Dan Kelly is trying to hide his extreme views from the people of Wisconsin, again,” commented One Wisconsin Now Deputy Director Mike Browne. “This time it’s his dangerously radical view that most birth control should be illegal and abortion ought to be banned in every instance, even if a woman’s life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest.”

Kelly’s latest far right-wing supporters want to amend the Wisconsin State Constitution with a proposal that would have the effect of outlawing almost all forms of birth control, ban all abortions including for victims of rape and when the woman’s life is endangered. Analyses of similar efforts in other states suggest the changes would likely ban in vitro fertilization, stem cell research and could even result in police investigations of miscarriages.

Kelly has not disclosed this group’s support on his website or any of his social media channels.

Browne noted that Kelly hiding the support of the right-wing group and his endorsement of their radical agenda fits a pattern of Kelly trying to keep his extremism from the public.

Kelly attempted to hide years of controversial blog posts he authored from the public by having them scrubbed from the site in 2016. Research by One Wisconsin Now uncovered dozens of posts authored by Kelly between 2012 and 2015 in which he expressed extreme views on social and economic issues. When asked, a campaign spokesperson admitted the posts were scrubbed from the blog at Kelly’s request.

Kelly has even claimed, in a conversation with a reporter, that it would be inappropriate for him to discuss his political views in any way. His protestation comes despite the fact his campaign is literally housed in the headquarters of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and he appears at GOP-sponsored events.

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