Elon Musk wears a cheesehead hat as he speaks throughout a rally in Inexperienced Bay, Wisc. on March 30, 2025. An election to decide on a brand new state Supreme Court docket justice takes place Tuesday and Musk has contributed hundreds of thousands to the race, hoping to safe a win for the conservative candidate.
Robin Legrand/AFP through Getty Pictures/AFP
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Robin Legrand/AFP through Getty Pictures/AFP
Most of the nation’s most contested points and hottest partisan politics are enjoying out in a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket. The election is Tuesday.
On the state degree, abortion rights, voting rights and the powers of public worker unions might all be in the balance in future court rulings.
And impacting the nationwide scene, the courtroom might decide whether or not the state redraws its congressional districts alongside traces that find yourself narrowing or ending the bulk that Republicans maintain within the U.S. Home of Representatives.
Cash is pouring in from across the nation, with hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in assist of the conservative candidate coming from billionaire Elon Musk, who visited the state Sunday evening for a rally donning a cheesehead hat. He handed out $1 million to 2 folks after a authorized back-and-forth on whether or not the cash amounted to bribing voters. The liberal candidate has acquired hundreds of thousands in assist from billionaire George Soros, Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, a Wisconsin philanthropist and others.
Spending on each side is anticipated to succeed in $100 million, which is more than all but a few U.S. Senate races every value final 12 months. It is essentially the most expensive state judge race ever, says The Brennan Middle for Justice, a non-partisan assume tank and democracy advocacy group.
Wisconsin’s a swing state the place President Trump narrowly defeated Kamala Harris in 2024. There is a Democratic governor, Tony Evers, and a Republican-controlled legislature. Tuesday’s vote could possibly be the primary measure of Trump’s reputation and Democrats’ vitality after the election 5 months in the past. It is also a referendum on Trump’s close adviser, Musk.
Wisconsin Supreme Court docket candidates Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel shake fingers earlier than a debate March 12 in Milwaukee.
Morry Gash/AP
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Morry Gash/AP
Two county judges face off for a seat opening on the courtroom
Supreme Court docket races are non-partisan in Wisconsin, so there will not be a “D” or an “R” subsequent to the justices’ names on the poll, however they’re usually described as both liberal or conservative. This race would substitute one of many 4 liberal-leaning judges on the seven-judge courtroom for a 10-year time period.
Both candidates are county judges. Brad Schimel is a Waukesha County decide and former Republican Wisconsin legal professional normal. He is endorsed by Trump. Dane County Decide Susan Crawford was endorsed by former President Barack Obama final week.
Crawford labored as an assistant state legal professional normal and as chief authorized counsel for former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. Schimel was Waukesha’s district legal professional and was elected state legal professional normal however misplaced a bid for a second time period in that place in 2018.
With the heavy spending, voters are being barraged with advertisements on tv, web sites and mail by each campaigns and unbiased teams.
Waukesha County Decide Brad Schimel speaks to supporters in Waukesha, Wis., earlier than boarding his marketing campaign bus on March 22.
Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM
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Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM
The problems: Abortion rights, voter ID, unions
The race has teed up lots of the similar points because the final presidential election. On abortion rights, Crawford accuses Schimel of supporting an 1849 state regulation that’s nonetheless on the books and earlier than the courtroom. It was used to dam abortion in Wisconsin for over a 12 months after the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturned the federal proper to abortion in 2022. Presently, abortion is authorized as much as about 20 weeks of being pregnant.
Schimel acknowledges he has mentioned the 1849 regulation is legitimate however says that abortion must be as much as “the will of the people.” Democrats notice he is opposed abortion in the past. Crawford talks about how she represented Deliberate Parenthood of Wisconsin when she was a personal legal professional.
Wisconsin can also be residence to one of many nation’s greatest battles over labor rights. As an legal professional, Crawford labored for lecturers against a 2011 regulation prohibiting most public workers from collective bargaining. A decide recently blocked that law, which could possibly be headed to the state supreme courtroom.
In the meantime, Schimel has mentioned he’ll vote sure on a measure additionally on the poll Tuesday to position voter ID necessities within the state structure. Crawford says she does not assume a judicial candidate ought to take a public place on one thing that would find yourself being interpreted by the courtroom.
The Schimel marketing campaign has additionally deployed a difficulty that GOP candidates say labored for them in 2024 — opposition to transgender rights. One marketing campaign advert incorporates a girl saying Crawford “sides with” radicals in favor of permitting “transitioning male lecturers” in women’ loos at college. Advocates for transgender rights say it is an instance of fearmongering.
Dane County Decide Susan Crawford, candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket, prepares to talk at a marketing campaign cease at Racine County Democratic Social gathering headquarters.
Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM
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Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM
Musk’s hundreds of thousands, his paid petition and the surface cash
Elon Musk and teams linked to him have reportedly spent at the very least $20 million in assist of Schimel. The Related Press stories that they’ve run deceptive ads that appear to be from the Crawford camp and spotlight controversial buzzwords. Musk has additionally provided $100 to anybody who indicators a petition in opposition to “activist judges” and gave away $1 million to two petition signers.
Musk says he is within the race as a result of the courtroom has energy over redistricting for congressional elections and that if Crawford wins, “then the Democrats will try to redraw the districts and trigger Wisconsin to lose two Republican seats.”
Crawford supporters have highlighted Musk’s involvement. “Elon Musk is de facto attempting to purchase a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket,” Crawford says.
“I’ve no management over no matter any exterior group does. I’ll implement the regulation. I’ll apply the regulation the way in which the legislature has written it,” Schimel mentioned within the one marketing campaign debate.
Musk has a matter in Wisconsin courts as CEO of Tesla. In January, the automaker sued looking for an exemption from a state law that bans automobile producers from promoting on to shoppers — as Tesla does — as an alternative of going by means of sellers.
Crawford says his spending far exceeds her high donors. Her greatest monetary backer seems to be Wisconsin philanthropist Lynde Uihlein, who the Brennan Middle says has given $6.2 million. Soros has given $2 million.
This story was written by NPR’s Larry Kaplow with reporting from Chuck Quirmbach and Maayan Silver of WUWM and Wealthy Kremer and Anya van Wagtendonk of Wisconsin Public Radio.
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