Wisconsin Supreme Court election results: Susan Crawford defeats Brad Schimel in most expensive judicial race in US history

USA Today

02-04-2025

Liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford scored an unexpectedly easy victory in the high-stakes race for a crucial seat on the state Supreme Court in the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.
Crawford, 60, had received 55% of the vote to conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel's 45% with 82% of the vote in, according to unofficial results. Decision Desk HQ called the race less than an hour after polls closed at 8 p.m.
At Crawford's election night party in Madison, supporters cheered in response to calls that she had won the race early in the night. Groups in justice's robes and cow-printed cowboy hats flooded the party to celebrate, while others dressed in America-themed outfits broke out in dance.
When Crawford took the stage, she called the campaign an "incredible, life-altering experience."
"As a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin. And we won!" she said to cheers, referring to the $20 million-plus billionaire Elon Musk in an attempt to defeat her.
Schimel took the stage about 9:20 p.m. to say he had called Crawford to concede. Some of his supporters were crying and hugging each other as the race was called.
"You gotta accept the results," he said, adding that the numbers were not going to turn in his favor.
Crawford will replace outgoing liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who did not run for re-election. She takes office Aug. 1.
Her victory gives liberals control of the state's high court for the next three years, when it is considering such issues as abortion, union rights and more.
In rejecting Schimel, the state's voters spurned Republican President Donald Trump, who endorsed him, and Musk in a race widely seen as a referendum on the president's first two months in the White House.
Schimel welcomed their support and made a point of highlighting his ties to Trump in an effort to turn out the voters who supported the Republican president in November.
At stake in the race was not solely a seat on the state's seven-member high court but also its ideological control. Crawford's victory effectively locks out conservatives from retaking the majority until at least 2028.
Those high stakes contributed to the bitterness — and record spending — that defined the race.
Race featured heavy spending by wealthy donors, with Elon Musk leading the way
The battle saw spending eclipse $100 million, according to WisPolitics, with more than 100,000 donations from all 50 states flowing into Wisconsin. The old record was $56 million, the amount spent in the state's 2023 Supreme Court election.
As of Monday, the two campaigns together had raised a combined $43 million.
Crawford's campaign had raised just under $28 million, a record for a judicial candidate. Schimel's campaign contributions stood at $15.1 million.
The rest of the money has been raised and spent by third-party groups.
Musk's more than $20 million in spending coupled with his advocacy on Schimel's behalf, including a Sunday town hall in Green Bay, transformed him into a lightning rod in the campaign. Liberals highlighted his involvement in the race as conservatives embraced him, even as they sought to divert attention to liberal megadonors like billionaire George Soros.
In a statement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler said Democracy in Wisconsin was "alive and roaring."
"Susan Crawford's victory over Brad Schimel, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump is a resounding message from voters that Wisconsin believes in freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, that they have had enough of MAGA extremism, and that Wisconsin is not for sale," he said.
Long, bitter campaign ends in quick victory
Tuesday night's quick victory belied a bitter campaign.
Schimel and Crawford both launched attack ads that heavily featured criminal cases overseen by their opponent, who they argued was putting law-abiding citizens in danger by going easy on felons.
And while both candidates pledged to be "impartial," the legally nonpartisan race featured issues that fall largely along partisan lines, including abortion.
Crawford attacked Schimel over his ties to Musk, his personal opposition to abortion, and his handling of sexual assault evidence known as rape kits when he was the Republican state attorney general.
Meanwhile, Schimel pummeled Crawford for the financial backing she received from Soros and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in addition to the lawsuits she was part of as a private attorney to try to overturn Act 10 and block voter ID, which she previously likened to a poll tax and labeled "draconian." Soros contributed $2 million and Pritzker $1.5 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which funneled the cash to Crawford's campaign.
Conservatives also said her election to the court would allow liberals to redraw congressional districts in a way that is more favorable to Democrats, a contention that Democratic U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed last week.
But Crawford has said she has never discussed the issue of congressional redistricting either publicly or privately.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
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