This article by By Joseph Ax and Jarrett Renshaw is published by Reuters

Republicans are vowing to spend record amounts in key state supreme court races this fall, seeking to take advantage of a favorable national political environment to elect conservative judges at the state level amid deep political divisions.

A string of decisions throwing out Republican-drawn congressional maps in Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania has intensified the party’s determination to install justices who could give lawmakers fresh opportunities to muscle through more advantageous maps.

“The stakes in this election are going to be as high as the Senate race,” said Robert Paduchik, the Republican chair of Ohio, where an open U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs.

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