Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates spar over Musk and Soros donations in high-stakes race
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court race who has received the support of Elon Musk said Wednesday that it's more concerning that his Democratic-supported opponent is benefiting from donations by liberal philanthropist George Soros.
'I don't think these two things compare,' Brad Schimel told reporters. 'I don't think they equate at all.'
The race for ideological control of the battleground state's highest court is nonpartisan in name only, with Republicans lining up behind Schimel and Democrats backing Susan Crawford. The election on April 1 will determine whether liberals maintain their 4-3 majority on the court with major cases dealing with abortion, union rights, election law and congressional redistricting already under consideration by the court or expected to be argued before it soon.
It could be the most significant U.S. election since November, as it will serve as an early litmus test for Republicans and Democrats after President Donald Trump won every swing state, including Wisconsin.
Big money is pouring in on both sides, leading both Schimel and Crawford to say it won't affect their independence on the court even though each argues that it will influence their opponent.
'I don't have any agenda that I'm working alongside anyone,' Schimel told reporters after speaking at a Wisconsin Counties Association meeting. 'I'm grateful for our supporters, but they're getting nothing except me following the law.'
Crawford said Tuesday that she has 'never made any promises' to her donors.
Musk's America PAC is spending $1 million to help Schimel, a former Republican attorney general and current Waukesha County judge. Another group Musk has funded, Building America's Future, is spending $1.6 million on TV ads attacking Crawford, a Dane County circuit judge. Schimel has also received nearly $1.7 million from the state Republican Party.
Crawford has gotten $3 million from the state Democratic Party, including $1 million that the party received from Soros and $500,000 that it got from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Schimel said Wednesday that the Soros donation was more problematic than the support from Musk, the world's wealthiest man and a top adviser to Trump.
Schimel, a former district attorney, said he thinks Soros has 'very dangerous ideas for America,' citing his support for groups working to reduce funding for police.
He also accused Crawford of wrongdoing when she spoke at an event with Democratic donors billed as a 'chance to put two more House seats in play.' Republicans, who made Wisconsin one of the most gerrymandered states in the country when they controlled all the levers of power, say this shows that she is committed to redrawing congressional districts to benefit Democrats.
'That is pay for play,' Schimel said Wednesday.
Crawford's campaign did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Donations from the political parties and billionaires has also raised questions about whether Schimel and Crawford would recuse themselves from cases involving them.
Tesla, the electric car company owned by Musk, has a lawsuit pending in Wisconsin challenging the state's decision blocking it from opening dealerships. That case could ultimately be decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Schimel would not commit Wednesday to stepping aside should the case reach the court, saying he knew nothing about the lawsuit and would evaluate it the same as he would any other case. Crawford has made similar comments about whether she would step aside in cases involving her donors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
29 minutes ago
A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is the Catholic Church's newest model of holiness
ROME -- The Vatican on Sunday is beatifying a Congolese customs worker who was killed for resisting a bribe, giving young people in a place with endemic corruption a new model of holiness: Someone who refused to allow spoiled rice to be distributed to poor people. The head of the Vatican's saint-making office, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, is presiding over the beatification ceremony Sunday at one of the pontifical basilicas in Rome, St. Paul Outside the Walls. The event is drawing Congolese pilgrims and much of Rome's Congolese Catholic community, who will be treated to a special audience Monday with Pope Leo XIV. Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was kidnapped and killed in 2007 after he refused to allow rancid rice from Rwanda to be transported across the border to the eastern Congo city of Goma. As an official with the Congolese government's custom's quality control office, the 26-year-old knew the risks of resisting bribes offered to public officials. But he also knew the risks of allowing spoiled food to be distributed to the most desperate. 'On that day, those mafiosi found themselves in front of a young man who, in the name of the Gospel, said 'No.' He opposed,' his friend Aline Manani said. "And Floribèrt, I think that for me personally, I would say for all young people, is a role model.' Pope Francis recognized Kositi as a martyr of the faith late last year, setting him on the path to beatification and to possibly become Congo's first saint. The move fit into the pope's broader understanding of martyr as a social justice concept, allowing those deemed to have been killed for doing God's work and following the Gospel to be considered for sainthood. 'Our country almost holds the gold medal for corruption among the countries of the world," Goma Bishop Willy Ngumbi told reporters last week. "Here, corruption is truly endemic. So, if we could at least learn from this boy's life that we must all fight corruption … I think that would be very important.' Transparency International last year gave Congo one of the poorest marks on its corruption perception index, ranking it 163 out of 180 countries surveyed and 20 on the organization's 0-100 scale, with 0 highly corrupt and 100 very clean. The beatification has brought joy to Goma at a time of anguish. Violent fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has led to the death of thousands of people and the rebels' capture of the city has exacerbated what already was one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises. It has renewed the hopes of many in the country of more than 100 million people whose development has been stifled by chronic corruption, which Francis railed about during his 2023 visit to the country. Speaking at the Kinshasa stadium then, Francis said Kositi 'could easily have turned a blind eye; nobody would have found out, and he might even have gotten ahead as a result. But since he was a Christian, he prayed. He thought of others and he chose to be honest, saying no to the filth of corruption.' The Italian priest who spearheaded Kositi's sainthood case, the Rev. Francesco Tedeschi, knew him through their work with the Saint'Egidio Community. He broke down Saturday as he recounted Kositi's example and Francis' call for the church to recognize the ordinary holiness in the 'saints next door.' 'In the end, this was what Floribert was, because he was just a boy,' Tedeschi said as he began weeping. At Goma's Floribert Bwana Chui School of Peace, which is named in honor of Kositi and advocates for social justice, his beatification is encouraging everyone who sees him as a role model, school director Charles Kalimba told The Associated Press. 'It's a lesson for every generation, for the next generation, for the present generation and for all people. Floribert's life is a positive point that must be presented to the Congolese nation. We are in a country where corruption is almost allowed, and this is a challenge that must be taken up,' Kalimba said. Rev. Tedeschi said the martyr designation recognized Kositi died out of hatred for the faith, because his decision to not accept the spoiled food was inspired by the Christian idea of the dignity of everyone, especially the poor. Being declared a martyr exempts Kositi from the requirement that a miracle must be attributed to his intercession before he is beatified, thereby fast-tracking the process to get to the first step of sainthood. The Vatican must, however, confirm a miracle attributed to his intercession for him to be canonized, a process that can take years or more. ___
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Vance Boelter's Friend Reveals More Details About Assassination Suspect
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A friend of Vance Boelter, a suspect in the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband on Saturday, has revealed his last message to him before the shooting. Boelter, 57, who was identified by police as a suspect in the shooting on Saturday, reportedly rented a room in the same Minneapolis home as David Carlson, and sent his friend a cryptic text message at 6 a.m. on the day of the incident. Boelter's listed address is in Green Isle, Minnesota, an hour's drive away. Newsweek has contacted the Minnesota State Patrol and Minneapolis Police Department for comment via email. Why It Matters Hortman and her husband, Mark, were pronounced dead Saturday morning after a gunman posing as law enforcement arrived at their home in the early hours and shot them both. The shooter, who remains at large, had targeted the home of another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, shortly before the attack on the Hortmans. Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times and have undergone surgery. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting "a politically motivated assassination." What To Know Sitting on the porch of the house that he had shared with Boelter, Carlson read aloud a text message that he received from the suspect at 6 a.m. on Saturday. The text message, which Carlson read to reporters, said: "David and Ron, I love you guys. I made some choices, and you guys don't know anything about this, but I'm going to be gone for a while. "May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way. "I don't want to say anything more, I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way, because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for all the trouble he has caused." A poster released by the FBI for Vance Boelter, a suspect in the shooting of Minnesota lawmakers on Saturday. A poster released by the FBI for Vance Boelter, a suspect in the shooting of Minnesota lawmakers on Saturday. FBI Carlson said that he had known Boelter since fourth grade, and that he was a loving person who did not seem like the type to carry out an assassination. "He was a loving caring guy, he loved his family, he loved his friends. He loved God. I don't know why he did what he did. It's not Vance, no one will believe this, no one that grew up with him, he had lots of friends, trust me. I wish I could have been there to stop him." Carlson told KARE 11that Boelter voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and that he was a "strong supporter." However, Carlson said that Boelter had not talked about politics recently, and that he had not given his friends any indication he had an interest in state-level politics or Minnesota lawmakers. There is no indication he is affiliated with a political party. Minnesota State Patrol said they had found "No Kings" flyers in Boelter's car, which refers to the thousands of demonstrations that took place throughout the United States on Saturday in protest of President Donald Trump's policies—in response, further protests across the state were canceled Multiple groups carried out demonstrations against Trump's administration and a military parade in Washington D.C. on Saturday, which was also the president's 79th birthday. Minnesota Flags at Half-Mast Walz announced that the flags on all state buildings would fly at half-mast to honor Hortman. Walz said on Saturday: "Minnesota's flags will fly at half-staff in honor and remembrance of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. She woke up every morning determined to make Minnesota a better place, and she will be greatly missed." What People Are Saying Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter: "Today Minnesota lost a great leader, and I lost a friend. A formidable public servant and a fixture of the state capital, Melissa Hortman woke up every day determined to make our state a better place. "She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, and tirelessness. Minnesota's thoughts are with her loved ones, and my prayers are with Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who were shot and wounded and are being treated." What Happens Next The FBI announced on Saturday they are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Boelter. "Anyone with information about these shootings or Boelter's location should call the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tip line at 877-996-6222 or email The public is asked to call 911 immediately if they see Boelter. Do not approach him."
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Officers injured as Portland rioters breach ICE building with explosives and rocks
Multiple police officers were injured in Portland, Oregon Saturday night during a violent riot at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. A mob launched fireworks, smoke grenades and threw rocks at federal law enforcement, as they broke glass and forcibly entered the ICE facility, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. Four officers were injured during the attack, though federal law enforcement was able to secure the facility. The riot came after the city hosted a 'No Kings' protest at 1 p.m., which officials labeled a 'large-scale free speech gathering.' Tens of thousands of people marched through downtown and returned to Waterfront Park at about 4 p.m., which is about five miles from the ICE field location. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) declared an unlawful assembly near the facility at about 6:30 p.m. local time, warning it would use crowd control measures, including impact munitions or other physical force, if necessary. About 30 minutes later, PPB said a medical event was reported within the ICE facility and medical personnel needed to enter. 6 Armed US Customs and Border Protection agents point less-lethal guns at masked protesters during a riot outside the ICE building in Portland, Ore. on June 14, 2025. AP 6 Hundreds of people take part in the 'No Kings' protest through the streets of Portland, Ore. on June 14, 2025. AP They warned rioters not to interfere with police, or 'force may be used against you,' the bureau wrote on social media. At about 8 p.m., PPB said officers observed criminal activity including assault and criminal mischief and would be making targeted arrests. 'Do not interfere with police action,' the agency wrote in a subsequent post. 'Failure to adhere to this order may subject you to citation or arrest.' 6 A masked protester receives medical attention after getting tear gas in his eyes during a violent riot against federal agents. AP 6 Law enforcement agents wear gas mask as tear gas is deployed around them. AP It is unclear how many arrests, if any, were made. 'Portland rioters are violently targeting federal law enforcement and we won't sit idly by and watch these cowards,' McLaughlin said. 'Secretary [Kristi] Noem's message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' The riot came as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) addressed the doxxing of its ICE agents on X. Posters pasted around the city include agents' identities, photos and addresses. 6 Law enforcement officers detain a masked protester during a riot that broke out in front of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Oregon. AP 6 A protester yells as he is detained by Border protections agents. AP DHS said it will not be deterred from enforcing the law. 'We will NOT be deterred by rioters' intimidation and threats,' DHS wrote in the post. 'ICE immigration enforcement will only ramp up. The violent targeting of law enforcement in Portland, OR by lawless rioters is despicable, and its leaders must call for it to end.' PPB did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
