Liberals keep grip on Wisconsin Supreme Court despite Musk onslaught

Susan Crawford's win ensures a 4-3 majority for at least three years

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice-elect Susan Crawford, the Democratic backed candidate (credit: Susan Crawford campaign Facebook)

Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated former state Attorney General Brad Schimel in Tuesday's pivotal election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, ensuring that liberals will retain the majority they first won two years ago. With an estimated 61% of the vote reporting, Crawford held an 56-44 lead, and multiple media outlets have called the race for Crawford.

While the race was officially nonpartisan, Crawford ran with the backing of Democrats while Schimel had the support of Republicans. With ideological lines clear-cut, the contest smashed the spending record of $56 million previously set in 2023, this time exceeding $100 million.

A key reason was the involvement of Elon Musk, whose affiliated political groups poured in more than $20 million to help Schimel. Republicans professed to be unconcerned about Musk's role, with the chair of the state GOP telling the New York Times, "I've spent about one second worrying about what they say about Elon Musk."

But the intervention of the world's wealthiest man boomeranged, however, by allowing Crawford and her allies to exploit his unpopularity in ads accusing him of wanting to buy a seat on the Supreme Court. Crawford also hammered Schimel for giving a favorable plea deal to a man charged with downloading child pornography after his attorney gave thousands to Schimel's campaign for attorney general.

Schimel, meanwhile, operated from a familiar conservative playbook, attacking Crawford as soft on crime. Similar attacks, however, failed to gain traction two years ago, when Janet Protasiewicz's victory gave liberals control of the court for the first time since 2008, and they likewise proved insufficient this time.

Thanks to Crawford's win, liberals will retain their 4-3 majority at least until 2028, barring any early departures. They'll even have a chance to expand their narrow edge over the next two years, since conservatives will be defending seats in both 2026 and 2027.