Dane County Judge Susan Crawford today secured an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, solidifying liberal control for at least another three years as she easily won the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.
With more than three-fourths of the statewide vote in Crawford was at 54.8%, compared to 45.2% for Waukesha Judge Brad Schimel.
As Crawford addressed supporters in Madison, she acknowledged the billionaire-fueled spending in the race, particularly the impact of Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO and top aide to President Donald Trump and his PACs spent more than $24 million on the race. Crawford told supporters she never imagined while growing up in Chippewa Falls that she’d someday take on the richest man in the world.
“Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court, and Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price,” the Dane County judge said. “Our courts are not for sale.”
Crawford took the stage flanked by liberal Justices Rebecca Dallet, Jill Karofsky, Janet Protasiewicz and Ann Walsh Bradley. Crawford, who will succeed Bradley on Aug. 1 when she’s sworn in, pledged to be a fair, impartial and common sense justice. As she spoke, Dallet, Karofsky and Protasiewicz exchanged hugs.
In a short speech to supporters in Pewaukee, Schimel announced he had called Crawford to concede. Some in the crowd protested, but he said “you gotta accept the results” and the numbers weren’t going to turn around.
“We will rise again. We’ll get up to fight another day. It just wasn’t our day,” the former GOP attorney general said.
While the ads were dominated by crime and abortion, many national pundits saw it as an early referendum on Trump’s second term — and Musk’s involvement in the campaign.
Protasiewicz won an open seat on the court in 2023, giving liberals the majority for the first time in 15 years. The tab for that race came in at $56 million — more than three times the previous national record.
With ideological control of the court again at stake, the race shattered the record set just two years ago. Through today, WisPolitics had tracked $107 million in overall spending through independent expenditure filings with the state, data from AdImpact, information from media buyers and sources with knowledge of the efforts. That includes $58.2 million by Schimel and those supporting him and $48.8 million by Crawford and those backing her.
The spending was dominated by big donors. George Soros donated $2 million to the state Dem Party, while Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker chipped in $1.5 million. The party then poured $11.4 million into Crawford’s campaign.
On the GOP side, Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks has given $3.6 million to the state Republican Party since Jan. 1, while Illinois businesswoman Liz Uihlein kicked in $2.2 million, and her husband Dick Uihlein gave the party another $1.7 million. It transferred $9.5 million to Schimel’s campaign.
Still, no donor was more influential than Musk, who appeared in Green Bay over the weekend.
The billionaire business owner and top aide to Trump plus two aligned PACs put in more than $24 million, according to the WisPolitics tally. That includes $12.6 million by America PAC and another nearly $8.7 million by Building America’s Future PAC.
Musk personally gave the state GOP $3 million. And the $24.3 million doesn’t include what America PAC handed out to registered voters who signed a petition opposing “activist judges.” Those who did that — and provided personal information the PAC could use for GOTV efforts — received $100 per person. The PAC offered other incentives as part of its turn out the vote efforts, including three $1 million awards to people who signed the online petition.
The court will keep its 4-3 majority once Crawford is sworn in Aug. 1.. From there, it will be six straight years of state Supreme Court contests in Wisconsin.
Since flipping control of the court two years ago, Dems have seen a series of victories with the new majority. That includes a ruling that threw out GOP-draw legislative maps, leading to new lines for the 2024 elections that significantly narrowed Republican majorities.
Now, conservatives will be tasked with defending the seats of Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is up for reelection in 2026, and Chief Justice Annette Ziegler in 2027. They would need to win both just to have a shot at retaking the majority in 2028, when liberal Rebecca Dallet would be up for a second 10-year term.
Crawford’s victory marks the fourth win in the last five Supreme Court races for liberals. Before that streak began, conservatives had a 5-2 majority.
