There’s a Reason Why Record Cash Is Pouring Into Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
“Why is April’s WISC election so important? Because it determines if ACT 10, the law which saved Wisconsin from bankruptcy, will live or not.”
Wisconsin voters will head to the polls on April 1 to choose the next justice of the state Supreme Court. Their decision will determine party control of the court. Currently, the Democrats hold a 4-3 majority.
The progressive candidate, Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford, and her conservative opponent, former Wisconsin Attorney General and current Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, are battling for the open seat being vacated by liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who is retiring.
The race, which has drawn national attention, is on track to become the most expensive state Supreme Court election in U.S. history. So far, $59 million has been poured into the contest, already surpassing the $56 million spent on Wisconsin’s 2023 Supreme Court race—which set a record at the time.
The left-leaning Brennan Center updated its spending record for this race (including television advertisement spending) on Monday, revealing eye-opening figures. Most striking are the substantial contributions from groups aligned with Elon Musk—America PAC and Building America’s Future—which have spent over $6.5 million and $5.8 million, respectively, in support of Schimel.
Crawford’s largest supporters to date include A Better Wisconsin Together and the ACLU Voter Education Fund which have spent $2.9 million and $1 million, respectively.
The one major new poll of this race, conducted by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (a group that supports Schimel), shows the two candidates in a dead heat, tied at 47-47 with 5% of voters still undecided.
In a recent news release, WMC Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley said, “Like many Wisconsin statewide elections, this race is very close and will come down to the wire. This is a winnable race for either candidate right now, and will simply boil down to whichever side does a better job of getting out their voters. It really cannot be overstated how much is on the line.”
"Like many Wisconsin statewide elections, this race is very close and will come down to the wire. This is a winnable race for either candidate right now, and will simply boil down to whichever side does a better job of getting out their voters." https://t.co/BKk9y6SqDg
— WMC (@WisconsinMC) March 12, 2025
Newsweek reported on several earlier polls of this race:
An RMG Research poll, conducted among 800 registered voters from February 25 to February 28, showed Crawford with a slight lead.
Forty-two percent of respondents said they planned to back Crawford, while 35 percent leaned toward Schimel, the poll found. Still, 17 percent said they were undecided.
A TIPP Insights poll, which surveyed 1,045 registered voters from February 7 to February 11, showed each candidate receiving 38 percent of the vote. It had a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
A Marquette poll found that voters are unfamiliar with both candidates. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they don’t know enough about Schimel to make a decision about whether they view him favorably, while 58 percent said they don’t know enough about Crawford to form an opinion.
Although Republicans have multiple reasons for prioritizing this race, the most immediate is Crawford’s stated intention to redraw the state’s congressional maps. If elected, she will ensure the maps are redrawn in a way that favors Democratic candidates in next year’s critical midterm elections.
If Democrats regain control of the House, they will seize every opportunity to block President Donald Trump’s agenda—and will almost certainly impeach him at least once.
In the X post below, conservative activist Scott Presler sounds the alarm, urging volunteers from neighboring states to mobilize and knock on doors to prevent a repeat of the 2018 midterms, which handed the House majority back to the Democrats.
‼️CALLING EVERY CONSERVATIVE‼️
I’m putting this on your ❤️: if you are willing & able, come to Wisconsin.
We have a very important Supreme Court election on 🗓️Tuesday, April 1st, 2025.
The democrat opponent already said that — if she wins — she will redraw congressional maps… pic.twitter.com/O4oiiYn8oF
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) March 14, 2025
In addition to the prospect of redrawn congressional maps, other issues such as election integrity and school choice are at stake. Anyone who followed the aftermath of Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election is well aware of the numerous credible allegations of fraud and misconduct that emerged.
WISCONSIN – THE TIME IS HERE 📢
This April, we’re taking back the WI Supreme Court 🇺🇸
The future of election integrity, school choice and more is on the line.
Let’s fight to win!
Sign up for Super Chase updates ➡️ https://t.co/uBKnDsQdN0 pic.twitter.com/NFbsq3OmrC
— Turning Point Action (@TPAction_) January 24, 2025
In the X post below, a Schimel supporter highlights several more issues, including Act 10—a 2011 law that curtailed union power in Wisconsin and restored it to the people. Estimates suggest the law has saved taxpayers between $31 billion and over $36 billion so far.
You may recall the media coverage of the “weeks-long protests” inside the Wisconsin state Capitol at the time. Some Democratic lawmakers actually fled the state to “prevent Republicans from reaching a quorum to vote on it.” There were reports of school closures as teachers left to join the protests.
Unfortunately, “major parts” of this law were overturned by a Democratic judge in December, according to Fox News. Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ruled some of its provisions to be unconstitutional.
☘️ Happy St. Patrick’s Day WI Voters! ☘️
This is your weekly reminder that our state is at a pivotal crossroads and we are 15 days away from the most important election in America this year – the WI Supreme Court!
Susan Crawford and her leftist billionaire backers are aiming to… pic.twitter.com/iQygRNqOvy
— Luke Hilgemann (@LHilgemann) March 17, 2025
Below, an X user emphasizes the significance of Act 10. She asks, “Why is April’s WISC election so important? Because it determines if ACT 10, the law which saved Wisconsin from bankruptcy, will live or not.”
Why is April’s WISC election so important?
Because it determines if ACT 10, the law which saved Wisconsin from bankruptcy, will live or not.
Reminder:
– Wisconsin Senate Democrats FLED to Illinois and had arrest warrants issued.
– Schools were closed as teachers left for… pic.twitter.com/yYdVnR6lPp
— Wisconsin’s Conservative Sponge (@wiz_political) February 20, 2025
Suffice it to say there is a lot riding on the April 1 election which is why it has drawn national attention and outsized contributions from Musk-tied groups. For the sake of America, let’s hope the conservative candidate prevails this time.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
All those blue areas
Are universities and the light blue many
Big black in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine area
If it’s machine counting
Will be major to
Overcome
Let the prog win. Let the state go bankrupt. It will be an object lesson for the rest of the country.
Who wants to give them ANYTHING to crow about
It would be God awful for 2 years!!!
except we the taxpayers have to continually “save” them and that funding then allows lefty to continue to subvert america
No, Read the article. A D win will lead to redistricting that will increase democrat representative in congress in 2026 and potentially affect Trumps ability to pass his agenda.
I agree but the problem will be us paying to bail them out.
I remember working on a similar situation a number of years ago. I might
go to Hudson WI to help. Scott Walker was a fantastic governor and he took on the teachers’ union which did millions of damage to state property. Taxpayers ended up paying for repairs.
WI needs not get more conservators out there – they MUST support Schmil. Remember, conservatives, you must vote. Dems simply want to destroy. We cannot afford to lose to them – the world depends on the US for its future.
It’s who counts the votes
This is almost as critical as the 2024 Presidential Election.
Was wondering if Scott Pressler was there working his magic. There needs to be millions of Scott Presslers everywhere acting as the antidote to the Democrat cancer!
“You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
I have to say that on a philosophical level, it is incredibly sad that our legal system – intended to be an impartial arbiter – is so deeply political that the decisions of a Supreme Court Justice can be easily predicted not on a scholarly reading of the law by experts but by political forecasters with no real knowledge of The Law.
THIS but extended out to include almost all judges at this time.