Susan Crawford defeats Brad Schimel, defying Elon Musk

Susan Crawford has received a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket, NBC Information initiatives, permitting liberals to keep up their slim majority on the battleground state’s highest courtroom — and defying Elon Musk after he spent thousands and thousands of {dollars} to oppose her.

Crawford, a Dane County circuit decide who was backed by Democrats, secured a 10-year time period on the courtroom over Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County circuit decide and a former Republican lawyer basic. As the primary main battleground state election of President Donald Trump’s second time period, the technically nonpartisan contest drew nationwide consideration and have become the most costly state Supreme Court docket race in U.S. historical past. 

The result is a setback for Trump and his billionaire adviser, Musk. Trump endorsed Schimel within the last stretch of the race, whereas Musk injected himself into the middle of it, spending enormous sums of cash, visiting Wisconsin days out from Election Day and incessantly posting concerning the race on his X feed. In flip, Democrats and progressive teams made Musk their main villain, attacking his affect on the race and his efforts to slash federal jobs and the federal government by way of the Division of Authorities Effectivity. 

Crawford’s victory additionally means liberals will preserve a 4-3 benefit on the courtroom for at the very least one other yr heading right into a time period when it might resolve circumstances about abortion rights, unions and collective bargaining rights, and congressional maps and redistricting.

Regardless of the greater than $15 million that Musk and teams affiliated with him dropped into the race, Democrats total held a slim advert spending benefit, based on AdImpact. 

Democratic-aligned teams spent thousands and thousands of {dollars} blasting Musk as “making an attempt to purchase” Schimel and the election, whereas Crawford herself repeatedly used Musk as a foil at her marketing campaign occasions. The Democratic Occasion of Wisconsin launched a town-hall tour dubbed “Individuals v. Musk,” on which surrogates together with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz additional bashed Musk and DOGE. 

Some additionally identified that Musk’s electrical automobile firm, Tesla, sued in Wisconsin this yr difficult a state regulation banning carmakers from proudly owning dealerships. The case might find yourself earlier than the state Supreme Court docket.

Democrats additionally attacked Musk’s provide of $100 to Wisconsin voters to signal a petition to oppose “activist judges.” The Democratic state lawyer basic, Josh Kaul, additionally unsuccessfully tried to dam Musk from giving $1 million to folks to be “spokesmen” for the petition at a rally Sunday. 

Conversely, teams on the left largely stayed away from making the race about Trump, who narrowly carried the state in two of the previous three presidential elections. 

The anti-Musk playbook is one which Democrats might search to copy in different elections this yr and within the 2026 midterms. 

Schimel embraced Trump within the closing days of the race, a transfer strategists stated was meant to attempt to juice conservative turnout. 

Along with operating advertisements touting Trump’s endorsement, Schimel appeared at a marketing campaign city corridor occasion in March with Donald Trump Jr. and instructed a gaggle of canvassers from the conservative group Turning Level USA that Trump wants a “help community” round him to assist him combat the myriad fits his administration has confronted.

Either side tried to color its opponent as comfortable on crime — regardless that the state Supreme Court docket not often hears circumstances about sentencing — whereas Crawford additionally attacked Schimel in advertisements that targeted on allegations that the state Justice Division mishandled the upkeep of 1000’s of rape kits beneath his watch as lawyer basic.

Aside from Musk, teams on the left made Crawford’s help of reproductive rights a central theme of their advertisements and messaging. Abortion rights and the destiny of the state’s 1849 abortion ban have been sizzling subjects due to a pair of circumstances already earlier than the courtroom.

The state Supreme Court docket heard a problem to the ban in November and is broadly anticipated to overturn the regulation, however earlier than Crawford is sworn in in August. Abortion suppliers within the state resumed the process in 2023 after a decide dominated that the 175-year-old regulation didn’t apply to consensual medical abortions, however the state Supreme Court docket is reviewing whether or not to thoroughly invalidate it. 

There may be additionally a separate case during which Deliberate Parenthood has immediately requested the courtroom to ascertain whether or not the state structure established a proper to an abortion. The courtroom Crawford will sit on might hear that case.

As well as, the courtroom can also be more likely to find yourself ruling on a case difficult landmark laws through the administration of Republican Gov. Scott Walker that eradicated collective bargaining for many public staff, referred to as Act 10.

And the courtroom might find yourself deciding circumstances difficult the state’s congressional maps, which favor Republicans.

After liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz joined the courtroom in 2023, it overturned the state’s gerrymandered legislative maps. The courtroom declined final yr to listen to a swimsuit that sought to redraw the congressional maps. 

However many Republicans have expressed concern that related fits may very well be accepted sooner or later, pointing to an e mail from a Democratic-aligned group that recommended a Crawford victory may “put two extra Home seats in play.” The subject, in addition to that e mail, turned a theme in a number of the advertisements run by Schimel-aligned exterior teams.

Liberals received a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket for the primary time in 15 years in 2023. The bulk was once more on the road this yr after liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley introduced her retirement. State Supreme Court docket elections are additionally scheduled in Wisconsin every year from 2026 to 2030.

In the meantime, Wisconsin voters on Tuesday additionally authorised a proposed modification to enshrine an present voter ID regulation into the state structure, NBC Information initiatives.

The measure will add language to the state structure from a 2011 requiring voters to offer picture ID once they vote or request an absentee poll. 

Conservatives stated they sought to have the regulation enshrined within the state structure to make it harder to strike down sooner or later. Republicans additionally hoped it might assist enhance voter turnout for the state Supreme Court docket race.