Susan Crawford has won the race for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, securing the liberal majority of the court and handing a major defeat to both Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.
Crawford, a judge from Dane County, defeated Brad Schimel, the former Republican state attorney general. Crawford will take over the seat of retiring liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
This election was the first big test for both political parties since the November elections, and it saw an enormous amount of money spent on the race. Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, poured more than $12 million into supporting Schimel. Musk also visited Wisconsin before the election, giving out $1 million checks to people who signed his petition against “activist judges.” Trump, too, got involved, urging his supporters to back Schimel.
For Wisconsin Republicans, this loss stings, as they hoped to keep their conservative majority on the court. This follows a similar setback in 2023 when liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz beat conservative Dan Kelly.
The 2024 race broke fundraising records, shattering the numbers set by last year’s race by tens of millions. National attention was high, not just because it could decide the balance of the court, but also because it was seen as a test of Trump’s influence in his second term as president.
Crawford’s campaign took aim at Musk’s political influence and the cuts under Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This comes on the heels of a scandal involving Trump’s team, where top officials discussed attack plans on the Signal app, not realizing a journalist had joined the conversation by mistake.
Locally, the outcome will matter in several high-profile cases. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will soon hear cases on topics like the state’s near-total ban on abortion and Act 10, which limits public workers’ collective bargaining rights. Recent rulings from the court have had a significant impact on issues like the 2020 election results and state legislative maps.
This win for Crawford is also part of a broader trend where Democrats have scored surprising victories in state elections since November. Earlier this year, Democrats won unexpected special elections in Iowa and Pennsylvania.
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, praised the result, saying, “Despite Republicans’ best efforts to buy this seat, Wisconsin voters showed up for their values and future. While Trump dismantles programs that taxpayers have earned, support, and are counting on, voters across the country are turning to state Democrats who are delivering on promises to lower costs and expand opportunities.”
