Democratic-backed Underly elected Wisconsin schools chief
By SCOTT BAUERApril 7, 2021 GMT
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Jill Underly rode support from the state teachers’ union and an overwhelming financial advantage, fueled by the Democratic Party, to win election Tuesday as Wisconsin superintendent of schools, defeating Republican-backed Deb Kerr.
Underly cruised to a double-digit win, based on unofficial results. Democrats hailed the win as a sign of momentum in the swing state, even though liberal-backed candidates for the state school chief have won by wide margins for decades.
Underly, 43, is superintendent of the rural Pecatonica school district and formerly worked for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which she will now lead. Kerr, 63, is the former superintendent of the Brown Deer school district in suburban Milwaukee.