Conservative state Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel says his pursuit of endorsements by political figures such Trump wouldn’t curry any favor with him if he’s elected.
Appearing at the Milwaukee Rotary Club Tuesday, Schimel said anyone running for statewide office needs a support network to deliver their message. While he doesn’t back political candidates, he argued there’s nothing wrong with “political candidates supporting judicial candidates. That’s perfectly legal. It’s just not a two-way street.”
Schimel appeared at a rally Monday with Donald Trump Jr. and has been open in saying an endorsement from the president would be helpful in his efforts to get out Trump supporters for the April 1 election.
“Nobody who’s supporting me is getting any kind of pass. Anybody who’s not supporting me isn’t getting any kind of a black mark,” Schimel said. “Anyone who comes to my courtroom, I will focus on the facts of the case and what is the law.”
Likewise, Schimel defended the support he’s received from Elon Musk. Groups linked to the billionaire and aide to Trump have spent at least $14 million on the race, according to a WisPolitics check of AdImpact data and filings with the Ethics Commission.
Schimel said he doesn’t control what Musk does and neither he nor anyone with his campaign has communicated with the billionaire.
“I don’t control it. But I welcome the help because I’ve got to get my message to those low- and mid-propensity voters,” Schimel said. “I’m aware that among the investments he’s made has been an awful lot of door knockers going around this state, and that’s pretty critical.”
Musk’s America PAC has reported $7.3 million in spending to back Schimel. The bulk of that has been for canvassing.
Fielding questions from a panel of journalists at the event hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Schimel demanded to know why more reporters aren’t asking liberal rival Susan Crawford about where she’s getting her money.
He said Crawford is up to $18 million spent on TV, but he hasn’t “heard anybody demanding to know” where her money is coming from.
As of this afternoon, AdImpact has now tracked $22.3 million in ad reservations by Crawford’s campaign. That includes $8.2 million for the final two weeks of the race. Schimel was at $9.3 million in overall reservations, with $1.4 million laid down for the final two weeks.
A law Republicans authored a decade ago allows unlimited donations to political parties with no cap on the transfers they can then make to candidates. Schimel and Crawford face a Monday deadline to detail how they’ve raised their money since early February.
Schimel said today lawmakers should take another look at the law, saying it’s “doing damage, but I have to compete in the world we’re in.”
The state Dem Party gave Crawford $2 million in January after collecting a $1 million donation from megadonor George Soros and $500,000 from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. It had previously transferred $1 million to her campaign in December.
Meanwhile, the state GOP gave Schimel $1.675 million in January after it received $975,000 from Beloit businesswoman Diane Hendricks and $650,000 from Illinois businesswoman Liz Uihlein.
Asked for comment on today’s event, Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman focused on Schimel’s comments regarding abortion. He declined to weigh in on a case regarding an 1849 law that the court heard oral arguments about in November and insisted the issue should be left up to voters.
“Like a true corrupt politician, Schimel today tried to backpedal, but he can’t hide from the comments he’s proudly made behind closed doors and his years-long work to ban abortion,” Honeyman said.
Watch the video on WisconsinEye.
See coverage of Crawford’s March 4 appearance before the organizations here.
