Underly wins race for state superintendent
April 6, 2021 9:28 PM Jaymes Langrehr
Updated:
The Associated Press called the race for Underly just before 9:30 p.m.
Wisconsin School Superintendent
April 6, 2021 11:35 PM 11:35 pm CDT
While technically a nonpartisan race, Underly largely had the support of Democrats while Kerr largely had the support of Republicans.
Underly is the superintendent of the Pecatonica School District and previously worked in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Carolyn Stanford Taylor served as state superintendent for the last two years after Tony Evers left the job when he became governor in 2019, but decided not to run for a full term.
Jill Underly to become next Wisconsin superintendent of schools Rory Linnane and Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Jill Underly, the Democratic Party-backed superintendent of Pecatonica School District, defeated former Brown Deer Schools superintendent Deborah Kerr Tuesday to become the state’s top education official.
As of 9:30 p.m., Underly had 372,228 votes while Kerr had 281,469. About 66% of precincts were reporting results, with absentee ballots still left to be counted. Nevertheless, Underly declared victory and Kerr called her late in the evening to concede.
Underly will start the job in July, taking over for Carolyn Stanford Taylor, who was appointed to the state superintendent position by Tony Evers when he became governor. Evers held the post for nearly a decade.
Jill Underly, the Democratic Party-backed superintendent of Pecatonica School District, defeated former Brown Deer Schools superintendent Deborah Kerr Tuesday to become the state’s top education official.
As of 9:30 p.m., Underly had 372,228 votes while Kerr had 281,469. About 66% of precincts were reporting results, with absentee ballots still left to be counted. Nevertheless, Underly declared victory and Kerr called her late in the evening to concede.
Underly will start the job in July, taking over for Carolyn Stanford Taylor, who was appointed to the state superintendent position by Tony Evers when he became governor. Evers held the post for nearly a decade.
Jill Underly, the Democratic Party-backed superintendent of Pecatonica School District, defeated former Brown Deer Schools superintendent Deborah Kerr Tuesday to become the state’s top education official.
As of 9:30 p.m., Underly had 372,228 votes while Kerr had 281,469. About 66% of precincts were reporting results, with absentee ballots still left to be counted. Nevertheless, Underly declared victory and Kerr called her late in the evening to concede.
Underly will start the job in July, taking over for Carolyn Stanford Taylor, who was appointed to the state superintendent position by Tony Evers when he became governor. Evers held the post for nearly a decade.
Jill Underly, the Democratic Party-backed superintendent of Pecatonica School District, defeated Deb Kerr, the Betsy DeVos-backed former Brown Deer Schools superintendent, Tuesday to become the state’s top education official.
Underly’s campaign spent seven times what Kerr’s campaign spent. Outside groups spent almost four times as much on ads in Underly’s favor than in Kerr’s favor. The American Federation for Children, a lobbying group founded by the family of former President Donald Trump s Education Secretary DeVos, poured money in on Kerr s side.
The level of spending over $1 million in ads alone was unprecedented for a Wisconsin superintendent race.