President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk fully support the Republican candidate for a Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin, a race that could determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
Both parties outside of Wisconsin are paying attention to the fight on Tuesday between conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.
The winner will take over the seventh seat on the state’s Supreme Court, which was left open when a judge retired. The winner will also decide whether the court leans 4-3 conservative or liberal.
The total amount spent on the race has already topped the $51 million mark set in Wisconsin two years ago for the most expensive judicial election in the country. This year, that amount could be more than $100 million.
The richest person in the world has contributed significantly to the change. Campaign records show that Musk has put all of his money into the race in the swing state that Trump won by less than a point in 2024. He has spent $19.3 million on the race.
The billionaire gave $2 million to the state GOP last week, and two groups with ties to him have also spent money. America PAC, Musk’s political action committee, and Building America’s Future, the political nonprofit he funds, have given the candidate on the right about $16 million to help his campaign.
Musk’s message to Wisconsin voters: “Conservative Brad Schimel will support President Trump’s agenda! Together, we won the White House,” a campaign flyer, paid for by the America PAC, goes on to say. “Now it’s time to win the courthouse!”
🚨 WISCONSIN POLL DROP: Crawford SURGING
Susan Crawford leads Brad Schimel 50% to 42% in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race—an 8-point blowout incoming if this holds.
This race is the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history. $81 million and counting—and guess who’s… pic.twitter.com/8QvOJsugJ2
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) March 27, 2025
There are also a lot of important issues at stake, like whether Wisconsin’s highest court leans left or right on abortion, voter ID laws, and redistricting in Congress.
Trump is also closely monitoring the state.
In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump called Crawford “the handpicked voice of the Leftists” and criticized her. He also told people in Wisconsin to start voting for his party’s candidate.
“And if she (Crawford) wins, the Movement to restore our Nation will bypass Wisconsin,” Trump wrote. “All Voters who believe in Common Sense should GET OUT TO VOTE EARLY for Brad Schimel.”
“She is the handpicked voice of the Leftists who are out to destroy your State, and our Country — And if she wins, the Movement to restore our Nation will bypass Wisconsin. All Voters who believe in Common Sense should GET OUT TO VOTE EARLY for Brad Schimel,” the president said.
“By turning out and VOTING EARLY, you will be helping to Uphold the Rule of Law, Protect our Incredible Police, Secure our Beloved Constitution, Safeguard our Inalienable Rights, and PRESERVE LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL,” he said.
Schimel has said that despite the record-breaking money and heightened attention pouring in from both sides, he is not “for sale.”
“People want to support you,” Schimel said at a forum last month. “It should be they’re supporting you because they like the things that you stand for, not because they’re buying some result.”
Crawford, a circuit judge, has had a questionable history of lenient sentencing, and during a recent debate, she was asked about a particularly egregious sentence she gave to someone who was convicted of the sexual assault of a child, Legal Newswire reported.
“I don’t regret that sentence because I followed the law in that case,” she said.
Crawford used Trump’s endorsement of her opponent to galvanize the anti-MAGA vote.
“Brad Schimel is a corrupt politician who let 6,000 rape kits sit untested and gave a plea deal to a child predator whose attorney gave him $5,000,” her campaign said. “Schimel has spent his entire career on bent knee to right-wing special interests, we assumed he had this endorsement locked up months ago.
“Schimel has said he wants to be a ‘support network’ for Trump and that the Wisconsin Supreme Court ‘screwed over’ Trump in 2020. Wisconsinites will reject Brad Schimel once again on April 1st,” the campaign said.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
