Races for Milwaukee County’s Circuit Court aren’t normally on the publics radar and the race between J.D. Watts and Jane Carroll is no exception.

Often, two qualified candidates with few differences vy for the same seat on the bench, leaving voters to guess who the more qualified is. In this race it’s more about who is behind the candidates than what the candidates say.

A candidates choice on who to team up is often telling and in this race, Watts has chosen Mary Clare Fagan as his campaign manager. Fagan has a reputation as being a quiet behind the scenes strategist whose modest manners, touched with a bit of Irish charm, make her very approachable. Combine that with the fact that she only manages the campaigns of good decent people, Watts gets an edge. We’re still a little confused at how Watts managed to garner such broad support that he’s supported by neo-con Assemblyman Mark Honadel (R) while at the same time also lays claim to being backed by Liberal State Senator Spencer Coggs (D). With that sort of political diversity in his supporters, Watts must be sporting some impressive political mojo.

On the other hand, Carroll has chosen to team up with J.J. Blonien, the mean spirited pitbull who advocates for neo-con causes with a venom that would make a snakes skin crawl. His unquestioning loyalty to the quirky evangelical State Senator Tom Reynolds drove him to team up with Wisconsin Conservative Journal Publisher Bob Dohnal in lambasting State Assembly Rep Leah Vukmir for even considering running against Reynolds in a primary.

This is not to say that only Watts is good on the issues. Carroll, an Assistant District Attorney, understands and agrees with Watts that the one-size-fits-all, lock-em-up approach isn’t exactly inspired by wisdom. Handling situations on a case by case basis shows wisdom and on that point, both Watts and Carroll earn our respect.

Both Watts and Carroll have good people behind them. While Carroll’s experience as a prosecutor earned her the title ‘prosecutor of the year’ from the Wisconsin Bar Association, she hasn’t shown good, let alone sound judgement when it comes to choosing her backers. Her claim that her experience in the courtroom sets her apart when Watts also can lay claim to courtroom experience shows Carroll to be a bit petty and not very judicial.

We won’t dismiss Carroll as being unworthy of a future run and would even consider supporting her in the future, but in this race she’s shown political and judicial immaturity while Watts has shown balance and reason.