(CP) WASHINGTON: Reported by Victoria Hayes.
Conservatives failed to overturn the 4-3 liberal majority in what has become the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history.
A liberal candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court achieved victory on Tuesday, successfully navigating a significant influx of political funding from tech billionaire Elon Musk in a race perceived as a referendum on both him and former President Donald Trump.
The Associated Press announced the results shortly after the polls closed.
Musk and his associated groups poured over $20 million into the contest. As a leading adviser to Trump and head of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk distributed cash prizes to stimulate interest in the election. During a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he framed the election as pivotal for the future of Western civilization due to its implications for Trump’s agenda.
However, Musk’s financial contributions and dramatic rhetoric were insufficient to secure a win in this historic court race, which exceeded $100 million in total costs, nearly doubling the previous record and aligning it with top Senate elections.
Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge and former chief counsel for a Democratic governor, won the open seat, ensuring that liberals maintain their 4-3 majority. She defeated Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County judge and former Republican attorney general who aligned himself with Trump.
With 98 percent of the votes tallied, Crawford was ahead of Schimel with 55 percent to 45 percent early Wednesday morning. “As a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never imagined I’d be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin — and we won,” Crawford remarked to supporters in a packed hotel ballroom.
Schimel conceded at an event in the suburbs of Milwaukee before Crawford took the stage, stating, “We will rise again. We’ll get up to fight another day, but this wasn’t our day.”
Democrats interpreted Crawford’s win as an indication that they could flip Congress in the midterm elections and make gains in the Senate. “Shot heard ’round the world,” said Wisconsin Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki as the results became apparent.
The outcomes unsettled Republicans, who had seen Musk and Trump’s support as a means to revive their fortunes in lower-turnout races that have hindered them in recent years within this battleground state. This loss served as a repudiation of Musk, whose financial influence seemed to do little to bridge the electoral gaps that conservatives have encountered in recent Wisconsin court contests.
Crawford’s win followed a recent victory by a Democrat in a special election for a GOP-leaning Pennsylvania state Senate seat, heightening liberal hopes of ending Republican dominance in Congress next year. On the same day, Republicans in Florida achieved victories in two special elections for House seats, but they notably underperformed compared to Trump’s results in those districts during November.
In a statement, Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, asserted that Wisconsin voters had rejected both Trump and Musk, stating, “And their message? Stay out of our elections and stay away from our courts.”
Trump endorsed Schimel and conducted a brief virtual rally on his behalf. Musk became deeply involved in the race by sending his political operation into the state and distributing $1 million checks to two voters at a rally on Sunday — one of whom was the chairman of the state College Republicans.
The president’s approval ratings have declined as his administration has implemented severe cuts to numerous federal programs and moved toward imposing substantial tariffs that some economists warn could trigger a recession. Tuesday’s results signaled potential political jeopardy for his party.
Two years prior, Wisconsin set a national record of $56 million in spending for a state Supreme Court election. This year’s contest shattered that record, accumulating over $100 million, as reported by WisPolitics.com.
Crawford benefited from substantial donations to the state Democratic Party from wealthy liberal benefactors, including $1.5 million from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, $1 million from financier George Soros, and $250,000 from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Turnout for Wisconsin Supreme Court elections fluctuates annually but remains significantly lower than for presidential elections, where approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of adults participate. Court elections saw turnouts of 22 percent in 2018, 27 percent in 2019, 35 percent in 2020, and 40 percent in 2023. The 2020 turnout was bolstered by the state’s presidential primary being on the same ballot, while the increased participation in 2023 was due to the stakes involved in court control.
In Wisconsin, as in other regions, liberals have performed well in these lower-turnout elections, winning the 2018, 2020, and 2023 elections by significant margins. A liberal candidate narrowly lost the 2019 race.
Conservatives attempted to boost turnout by targeting Trump supporters who typically do not participate in court elections. Trump’s victories in Wisconsin in 2016 and 2020 relied on engaging infrequent voters, and Schimel’s campaign hoped to replicate that success with Musk’s assistance. However, mobilizing Trump supporters to vote when he was not on the ballot proved challenging.
In a small victory for Republicans, Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution requiring photo identification to vote, as per AP projections. Although a state law has long mandated voters present ID at polling places, supporters of the amendment argued that enshrining the requirement in the constitution would shield it from legal challenges.
Schimel, 60, served as a prosecutor for 16 years in Waukesha County before being elected district attorney in 2006 and subsequently state attorney general in 2014. After losing his reelection bid, outgoing Governor Scott Walker appointed him as a Waukesha County judge.
He aligned closely with Trump, campaigning in a MAGA-style hat and posing in front of an inflatable Trump. He welcomed Musk’s support and appeared with him on an audio live stream on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, which Musk owns. Schimel later praised Musk, describing him as “a pied piper for the younger generation” who was “saving free speech on the internet by buying Twitter and removing censorship.”
Crawford, 60, held significant positions in the administration of former Governor Jim Doyle and later worked as a private attorney combating restrictions on unions, abortion, and the state’s voter ID law. She was elected as a Dane County judge in 2018, the same year the state capital, Madison, is located.
Musk was a prominent figure in the race, actively engaging in campaign efforts. Before the Green Bay rally, he announced on X that he would offer $1 million prizes “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.” Following legal scrutiny of this plan, Musk deleted the original post and issued a new one, clarifying that his event was intended for Wisconsin registered voters who signed a petition against activist judges.
On Friday, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) filed a lawsuit against this plan, claiming it breached an anti-bribery law prohibiting offering voters something of value in exchange for their votes. Musk’s team contended that the payments were for signing the petition and acting as spokespeople, not for voting.
When a judge did not promptly schedule a hearing, Kaul sought intervention from an appeals court and the state Supreme Court, both of which declined to intervene.
For weeks, Musk’s America PAC has offered $100 to registered voters in the state for signing the petition. On Sunday, Musk announced that the PAC would pay individuals $20 for each photo taken with a voter holding a picture of Schimel and giving a thumbs up.
Musk devoted much of his Sunday rally to discussing the objectives of his U.S. DOGE Service, a non-Cabinet agency focused on reducing the size of the federal government. Democrats criticized Musk’s initiatives as disorganized and risky, framing the Wisconsin election as an opportunity to counter Trump and Musk’s influence.
Musk expressed concern about the potential for liberals on the court to redraw the state’s congressional districts if they maintained their majority. Currently, Republicans hold six of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts.
“Whichever party controls the House, to a significant degree, controls the country, which then steers the course of Western civilization,” Musk stated. “I believe this is one of those situations that may not seem consequential at first, but it could significantly influence the future of humanity.”
No ongoing litigation pertains to the House seats, but a lawsuit remains a possibility. After liberals regained control of the court in 2023, voters contested the state’s legislative districts, resulting in the court invalidating them. This led to new maps that significantly reduced the Republican majority in the state legislature.
Eric Holder, the first attorney general under Obama and now leading a Democratic group focused on redistricting, remarked in a recent interview that Wisconsin’s U.S. House map is “pretty obviously gerrymandered.” He endorsed Crawford and expressed concern that the court would reverse its ruling on legislative maps if Schimel won.
During the Sunday rally, Musk did not address the lawsuit his electric vehicle company, Tesla, filed against the state in January concerning its ban on car manufacturers owning dealerships. That case is currently before a county judge but may escalate to the state Supreme Court.
Crawford is set to be sworn in on August 1. In the interim, the court is expected to rule on the legality of abortion in the state.
In Prairie du Sac, a rural area northwest of Madison, officials were surprised by the high voter turnout during an election typically characterized by low engagement. By 4:30 p.m., over half of the town’s registered voters had cast their ballots.
Tyler Jaedike, a 28-year-old high school teacher voting for the first time in a state Supreme Court race, attributed his turnout to Trump and Musk’s support for Schimel, though he ultimately voted for Crawford. He expressed concern over Musk’s financial incentives for voters, stating, “If it’s just a matter of who bids the highest, that creates a conflict of interest.”
Theresa Hellenbrand, 56, noted that she usually refrains from voting in court races, but participated this time partly due to Trump endorsing Schimel. She mentioned receiving constant reminders about the election through an influx of campaign flyers in her mailbox. While she did not sign Musk’s petition, she saw no issue with him paying voters to do so, saying, “It’s his right to do whatever he wants to. It’s freedom of speech.”
Kim Adler, 54, declined to disclose her vote after casting her ballot but voiced reservations about Musk’s financial involvement. “Let’s just say,” she commented, “my votes can’t be bought.”