The outcome continues liberal momentum in state judicial elections despite Trump’s popular vote victory in 2024.
GREEN BAY, Wis.—Judge Susan Crawford, a candidate backed by in-state Democrats and supported by millions in out-of-state donations, has won the most expensive Supreme Court seat in state history.
Crawford handily defeated Brad Schimel, a former Republican attorney general who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement, though her straw opponent had been tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Crawford won with 55 percent of the vote to Schimel’s 44 percent, with 70 percent reporting. The Associated Press called the race at 10:16 p.m. ET.
Despite receiving millions from out-of-state donors, Crawford successfully cast the race as a battle to keep Musk from controlling the outcome of the contest through his contributions in support of Schimel.
Both candidates received contributions from tens of thousands of donors across all 50 states. Contributions above $20,000 may not be given directly to a political candidate, but donors can contribute larger amounts through state political parties or political action committees.
Musk contributed $3 million to the state’s Republican Party. Billionaires George Soros and JB Pritzker contributed $2 million and $1.5 million respectively to the state Democratic Party.
Musk also handed out two $1 million checks to signers of a petition against judicial activism, which he portrayed as a publicity opportunity on behalf of Schimel. America PAC, which is associated with Musk, heavily supported Schimel also.
The avalanche of funds enabled spending of $21 million by Crawford’s campaign, about $10 million by Schimel’s campaign, according to the most recent campaign financial filings. More than $81 million was spent by other groups in support of the candidates, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Conservatives viewed the race as a battle for the future of the state and the country.
“What’s happening [in this election] is a vote for which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives,” Musk said on March 30. “And whichever party controls the House, to a significant degree, controls the country, which then steers the course of Western civilization.”
Prominent Wisconsin Republicans echoed that view.
“We know exactly what Susan Crawford can do,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said at a town hall meeting hosted by Musk. “She’ll be part of a group that will redistrict Derek Van Orden and Bryan Styles’s districts.”
Johnson said that would endanger the Republican majority in the House. “I do not want to be sitting in a third impeachment trial for a president. That’s what we’re facing,” he said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former congressman from Wisconsin, said the entire nation would be watching the results of this election. He referred to Crawford as a “radical leftist” who opposed school choice and voter identification laws and would redraw congressional districts.
Crawford allies cast the race as a referendum on Musk and his donations in support of Schimel, which included handing out the two $1 million dollar checks.
“Elon Musk is trying to buy Wisconsin, and we want to show him that we’re not for sale,” Kristin Lyerly, 54, of Green Bay, told The Epoch Times. Lyerly, a former Democratic congressional candidate, helped organize a sidewalk protest against Musk during a town hall meeting on March 30.
An Ashwaubenon voter from Brown County stated his intention bluntly after casting a ballot for Crawford on election day. “I came to vote against Elon Musk,” he told The Epoch Times.
Voters expressed frustration at the volume of campaign messaging propelled by the millions spent. Some told The Epoch Times they tried to tune out the proxy messages and focus on the candidates themselves.
Kyle Thomas, 64, of Ashwaubenon, told The Epoch Times he votes in every election but “it’s getting harder and harder with all the political [nonsense].”
“Changes [have] got to be made about how these campaigns are funded,” Thomas said.
Phil Cigler, 44, of Green Bay, told The Epoch Times he considers voting a civic responsibility and tries to ignore the incessant electronic messaging. “I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to that. I read my handouts and my flyers and base my opinions on that,” Cigler said.
Courtney Koslowski, 28, Ashwaubenon, told The Epoch Times she prepared to vote by researching the candidates in an attempt to be unduly influenced by the opinions of others. “That’s hard sometimes,” she said. “[But] keeping your morals, your values is important.”
Three major betting markets showed odds in favor of Crawford of more than 80:20.
Nearly 675,000 absentee ballots had been returned by March 30, more than double the number returned within the same time frame a year ago. A chief inspector for a Green Bay polling location serving three wards told The Epoch Times that voter traffic was comparable to other spring elections.
Democrat-backed candidates have now won three consecutive Supreme Court elections, outspending their Republican-sponsored opponents by $40 million to $15 million.
The court now has what is generally acknowledged to be a 4-3 liberal-leaning majority, which will be maintained as Crawford replaces Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who retires at the end of July.
Crawford has been a circuit court judge in Dane County since 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and formerly served as an attorney in the Wisconsin Attorney General’s office and as legal counsel to former Democratic Gov. James Doyle.
