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USA Today
02-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Wisconsin Supreme Court election results: Susan Crawford defeats Brad Schimel in most expensive judicial race in US history
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.) Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@ Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or dbice@ Follow him on X at @DanielBice or on Facebook at Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@ and on X @SchulteLaura.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who won in the Wisconsin election? Who won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race? We have all the results
Wisconsin voters elected liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford in a high-stakes race Tuesday for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Unofficial results reported Crawford received 55% of the vote to conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel's 45% with 95% of the vote in, according to Decision Desk HQ. Here's a breakdown of Wisconsin spring 2025 election results. Liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford won against conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel. Decision Desk HQ called the race less than an hour after polls closed at 8 p.m. It was the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, according to WisPolitics, with more than 100,000 donations. REALTED: All our reporting on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Susan Crawford, Brad Schimel Wisconsin State Superintendent Jill Underly scored a second term in Tuesday's election and defeated Republican-backed candidate Brittany Kinser. Unofficial results reported that Underly received 53% of the vote compared to Kinser's 47%, according to Decision Desk HQ. More: Wisconsin superintendent election results: Incumbent Jill Underly defeats Brittany Kinser RELATED: You can track your absentee ballot in Wisconsin. Here's how Wisconsin voters cast their ballot in support of adding Wisconsin's existing voter ID rule to the state constitution. Unofficial results show the referendum passed with 63% of the vote, according to Decision Desk HQ. Republicans placed the question on the ballot to make it harder for a liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to declare voter ID unconstitutional in the future. More: What the 'photographic identification for voting' referendum means in the April 1 election You can find more election results here. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who won in the 2025 Wisconsin spring election? Crawford beats Schimel
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Superintendent candidate Brittany Kinser weighs in on MPS a week out from election
Brittany Kinser discussed her plans for leading the state education department at a forum with reporters Tuesday. On many issues she said she "is not an expert" and would need to learn school classroom. (Dan Forer | Getty Images) State Superintendent candidate Brittany Kinser said Tuesday she would support Milwaukee schools and advocate for reform to the state funding formula if elected, but declined to explain what she would specifically advocate for, saying that she needs more information and isn't an expert. Kinser, an education consultant, is challenging incumbent Jill Underly for the nonpartisan position in the April 1 election. The state superintendent is responsible for overseeing the state's 421 public school districts, leading the state Department of Public Instruction and has a seat on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regent. At an hour-long event hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, the Rotary Club of Milwaukee and WisPolitics, Kinser answered questions from WisPolitics President Jeff Mayers and the audience about her stances. Both DPI candidates were invited to take part, but Underly declined. The two candidates participated in a conversation hosted by other groups last week. Kinser has outraised her opponent partially due to the contributions she's brought in from the Republican Party. According to recent campaign finance filings, Kinser raised $1,859,360 from Feb. 4 through Mar. 17. The Republican Party of Wisconsin contributed $1.65 million, and other political organizations $8,380, while individuals contributed $200,980. Underly raised $1,063,866 in the same time period, with $850,000 coming from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Mayers asked Kinser, who has previously called herself a moderate, whether the support makes her 'uncomfortable' because she is being cast 'as the conservative Republican individual' in the race. 'I'm very thankful for all of my supporters. I'm thankful for the Republicans, the Democrats, the independents who have supported me,' Kinser said. Kinser spoke to some of the issues that Milwaukee Public Schools, the state's largest school district, has faced in recent years, including the financial crisis that led to audits by the state, recent results from the 'nation's report card' that show wide racial achievement gaps in the district, and reports of lead in schools. Kinser, who has worked in the charter school sector in Milwaukee in the past and is from Wauwatosa, has repeatedly criticized her opponent for problems in the district. Kinser said she thinks some of the problems are a result of the governance and leadership of the district and said she is excited about the recently hired MPS superintendent. Brenda Cassellius, a former superintendent of Boston Public Schools and former Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education, started her tenure earlier this month — taking over a vacancy left by the former superintendent who resigned after details emerged of a financial crisis at the district. 'We all need to support her because her successes are children's success, so we need to make sure that she has the support she needs,' Kinser said. She said she hasn't spoken to Cassellius yet. 'I've been a little busy, but I hope to meet her,' Kinser said. 'If I get elected, she'll be definitely on the top of my list to reach out to.' Kinser said that she hopes Cassellius will 'create very clear goals on what she wants to see with operations and academics, financials, and that she can meet those goals.' If the problems persist after some time, that would be the time for the state to step in, she said. Kinser said she hasn't supported splitting up the district — as Republicans have proposed in the past — but she would be open to discussing the possibility. 'I think that would actually cause more bureaucracy,' Kinser said. 'If that's what the community wanted, I'd be supportive as long as we could show the kids would have better results, that kids can learn how to read, they're not going to be poisoned by lead — all of those things.' Kinser said she wants to open a DPI office in Milwaukee to work with the district. When it comes to funding, Kinser said MPS gets a lot of money per child, but said special education is underfunded. 'I want to make sure we have an increase,' Kinser said. She has said that she thinks the current reimbursement model for special education costs is outdated and would want to look to other states to see if there is another way to do it. Kinser again said that she would want to help modernize the state funding formula, but she didn't provide specific suggestions. She said she would want to look at other states and consult with others when asked about her ideas for modernizing the funding formula. She named Florida, Colorado as states with funding models she would want to look at. 'I would hire someone to help me do this work because I am not a financial expert in school funding and so would have to look and see what they're doing in other states,' Kinser said. She also emphasized that the ultimate decision wouldn't be made by the state superintendent. 'We could provide ideas. The Legislature and the governor have to sign off. I'm not a lawmaker,' Kinser said. 'People talk about this role as if it were a lawmaker.' While the state superintendent recommends an education budget, the final proposal comes from the governor's office. For the 2025-27 budget, which state lawmakers will take up starting in April, Underly submitted a proposal to increase public education by $4 billion. Gov. Tony Evers trimmed that back to more than $3 billion before submitting his draft budget. Kinser declined to weigh in on whether Evers' recommendation was 'right or wrong.' 'I haven't created my own state budget,' said Kinser, who is making her first run for public office. 'I just started this 100 days ago, but I would want to make sure that it's something that is possible because you want to be taken seriously by the Legislature and the governor.' Across the state, many school districts have held referendum votes in the last couple of years to increase local property taxes, covering budget shortfalls. Kinser said she agrees there are too many referendums, but also said she hadn't thought about whether the state is relying too much on property taxes for school funding. Asked if the state should rely more on sales tax or the income tax to fund schools, Kinser said she thinks the state would probably need to rely on both. 'I don't know. Like I'm telling you, I'm not an expert in that,' Kinser said. 'I promise to learn more about it [and] try to find the best way for communities, but I don't want to say something that I'm not an expert in.' She added that she would seek advice on such matters. 'I promise to have experts around me to answer these questions that you're [asking], talk with Republicans, Democrats, independents, anyone that owns a home, that has children, worried about their kids,' Kinser said. Kinser has never held a teacher's license in Wisconsin, and she recently updated her Wisconsin administrator's license after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that her license had lapsed in 2024. She emphasized that there is no requirement in state law that the state superintendent hold a teacher's or administrator's license 'We're not trying to be a teacher or a principal in the school. You don't need that. You just need to be a citizen of Wisconsin,' Kinser said. She added that she has a varied background with experience as a special education teacher as well as a charter school principal and leader, but that getting licensed in Wisconsin was difficult. Kinser, who supports school choice and has lobbied for increased funding to voucher schools, was also asked about a report from the Journal Sentinel published Tuesday morning. The report found that a Milwaukee-based virtual private school received millions of dollars from the state despite being virtual — blurring the lines between the state voucher program, which uses state funds to send students to private and charter schools, and homeschooling, which isn't eligible for state funding. 'Does that bother you as an educator that there's this virtual school that's getting this much state money?' Mayer asked. 'I would have to look into this,' Kinser said. 'I did not read the article today. I was not made aware. Sounds like there's some controversy there.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsin schools superintendent race; most expensive race for the job
The Brief The race for Wisconsin Superintendent of Schools has become the most expensive ever. The race pits incumbent Jill Underly against challenger Brittany Kinser. MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin has already set a record for the most expensive state supreme court race. Now, the race for State Superintendent of Schools is officially the most expensive race for that Wisconsin job. What we know Big bucks are pouring into the race for State Superintendent of Schools. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Challenger Brittany Kinser brought in more than $2 million this year, including donations from Republicans. Incumbent Jill Underly raised more than $1 million, including donations from Democrats. Outside groups have invested more than $1.5 million into the race, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Officials with that group said the previous superintendent record in 2021 was $3 million total. The state superintendent oversees public schools. The Department of Public Instruction keeps tabs on statewide academics. In her time, Underly oversaw switches to the state testing standards. What they're saying "I could not believe that they would do that, because that's not what helps our kids. We have to acknowledge the problem and come up with a plan, support our teachers, support our kids," Kinser said. "The facts are: we didn't lower standards. That is the fact. What we did was we raised standards in math and science and we added standards in career and tech ed, and teachers are the ones who made these decisions and whenever you add standards or take things out, you adjust the scoring scale," Underly said. The State Superintendent's Department also hands out funding to public schools, licenses teachers, and keeps tabs on districts' required financial audits. The two candidates did meet once for a virtual debate. On Tuesday, March 25, Kinser joined the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics. Underly's campaign said she was not free – and she also did not attend a recent similar event at Marquette. What they're saying "I think it is very disappointing. The superintendent, the only people we report to every four years are the voters. And it is essential for us to come in front of the public and have these debates and forums to talk to voters. What are platform is, what we believe, what we want for the reality of our education system," Kinser said. "I'm just so proud of everything that we've done. We have so much more work to do," Underly said. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Local perspective The WisPolitics event on Tuesday asked what grade Kinser would give MPS. She said the district is failing its students. She pointed to the financial reporting delays, the nation's report card and lead in school. The Underly campaign told FOX6 News Kinser now wants to grade MPS…despite never working in an MPS school. Kinser was asked if she would support the Republican plan to break up MPS into four to eight smaller districts. She said if the community wanted it, she would be open to it – but she said it might create more bureaucracy. When Kinser was asked if she would support the state taking over MPS, she said that could be an option, if things do not turn around. The Source The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.
New York Times
24-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Rallying Anti-Musk Donors, Liberal Judge Raises $24 Million in Key Court Contest
Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, has raised $24 million for the April 1 election, a record for an American judicial candidate, her campaign said on Monday. Her war chest — including $17 million raised in the period from Feb. 4 to March 17 alone — approaches that ordinarily expected of a candidate for governor and surpasses those of other recent candidates for statewide office in Wisconsin. But it is likely to be just a fraction of the total spent on Judge Crawford's behalf in the contest, which will be the nation's first major test of both parties' enthusiasm since President Trump took office and will determine which party holds a majority on the state's top court. Most of the money in the race will be spent by super PACs or funneled through Wisconsin's political parties. State law permits the parties to raise unlimited sums, which they can then transfer to endorsed candidates in unlimited amounts. Candidates for the court, however, face limits of $20,000 per individual donor. Judge Crawford's campaign said it had received contributions from 113,000 donors since she entered the race over the summer. Judge Crawford faces Brad Schimel, a conservative judge who received Mr. Trump's endorsement on Friday night and who is being aided by millions of dollars of spending from super PACs affiliated with Elon Musk, the billionaire who is leading the president's effort to cut costs across the federal government. The Supreme Court race has already drawn $80 million in total spending as of Friday, according to WisPolitics, a political news outlet in the state. With just over a week to go, it is by far the most expensive judicial race in American history, topping the $55 million spent on the state's last Supreme Court election, in 2023. The record sums come in part because of the enormous stakes. Liberals now hold a 4-to-3 majority on the court, which in upcoming years is likely to rule on a host of issues such as abortion rights and the state's election procedures, including congressional redistricting. A liberal justice, Ann Walsh Bradley, is not seeking re-election. The winner will earn a 10-year term on the court. Judge Crawford's fund-raising total is approaching the amount spent by the state's last Republican nominee for governor, Tim Michels, whose campaign spent $28.5 million during his 2022 loss to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. Mr. Michels, a construction magnate, spent more than $8 million of his own funds on that race, meaning Judge Crawford has now raised more herself than any nonfederal candidate in the state's history except for Mr. Evers. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which has endorsed Judge Crawford, has not yet released its fund-raising totals for the latest reporting period. It is required to do so later in the day on Monday. Judge Schimel and the Republican Party of Wisconsin have also yet to reveal their fund-raising numbers from the latest reporting period. America PAC, a super PAC funded by Mr. Musk, has spent more than $6.6 million to back Judge Schimel. Another super PAC affiliated with Mr. Musk has spent nearly as much on television ads in the race. Judge Schimel participated in a livestreamed chat with Mr. Musk on Mr. Musk's social media platform on Saturday afternoon. In a statement, Judge Crawford accused Mr. Musk of 'trying to buy influence over the Wisconsin judiciary by getting Brad Schimel elected to the Supreme Court.' She also expressed gratitude for what she called a 'historic outpouring of grass-roots support across Wisconsin.' Judge Schimel told a crowd in Western Wisconsin on Saturday that he had spoken with Mr. Trump and that 'he's going to weigh in and help on this race,' according to a report from The Leader-Telegram of Eau Claire. During their livestreamed discussion on Saturday, Mr. Musk said that Judge Schimel was trailing in the race. 'If you look at the early voting data so far,' he said, 'Democrats are winning, which is not good.'
