Voter decision: does experience count in the DA's race?

The chart shows the number of criminal cases that District Attorney John Chisholm and challenger Verona Swanigan participated in as lawyers in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Program. The numbers were obtained from the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Program.  Chisholm, a long-time prosecutor, has been involved in 892 criminal cases, according to CCAP. Some 688 of those were felonies and 204 were misdemeanors or criminal traffic cases. Swanigan, a private attorney, has been involved in 62 criminal cases, including 40 felonies and 22 misdemeanor or criminal traffic cases.

It's likely that Chisholm's case totals are undercounted because CCAP was not implemented until 1998, four years into his career as a prosecutor.

Swanigan has worked more in the civil law field, particularly in small claims court. She participated in 329 small claims cases since 2012, according to CCAP.  

Chisholm became a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney in 1994 and was elected district attorney in 2006. Swanigan has a private law office, Swanigan Legal Services. 

Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. does not endorse candidates.