Special Interest Glance
Susan Crawford was projected to win an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, keeping the high court’s 4-3 liberal majority intact and delivering a blow to Elon Musk and President Trump, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Crawford, a Dane County circuit court judge, defeated conservative candidate Brad Schimel, a former GOP state attorney general, for the seat. Crawford replaces retiring liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley on the court.
The election offered the first big test for both parties since the November elections and came after record-breaking amounts of money poured into the race. In particular, the race was seen as a test of Musk’s political sway, as his super PAC, America PAC, alone spent more than $12 million to support Schimel. He also traveled to Wisconsin the Sunday before the election, where he handed out $1 million checks to voters who had signed his petition against “activist judges.”
Trump also waded into the race, repeatedly urging voters to go to the polls and support Schimel.
The race will also be a bitter disappointment for Wisconsin Republicans, who lost a chance to keep their conservative majority after Justice Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative candidate Dan Kelly in 2023.
President Donald Trump
