PARWAUKEE, Wisconsin — The liberal candidate wins a prominent and historically expensive election in Wisconsin on Tuesday, protecting the progressive majority of the state Supreme Court on the battlefield.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford defeated former state attorney general Brad Simel, who is now a state Circuit Court judge in Waukesha County. Simel, a conservative candidate for the race, was approved by President Donald Trump.
A massive infusion of funds from a group of Democrats and Republicans from outside Wisconsin has transformed the race into the most expensive judicial election in the country’s history, and partially transformed into a referendum on Trump’s sweeping and controversial move in the opening game of his second tour at the White House.
Also, the front and center of the election showdown were those who were not taking part in the polls with Trump.
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Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Susan Crawford will make waves during election night party after winning the election in Madison, Wisconsin (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf) on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
“We could never have imagined taking on the wealthiest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin, and we won,” Crawford said in a victory speech at his home base in Madison, Wisconsin.
And against her critics, Crawford said, “My promise to Wisconsin is clear. I will be fair, fair and common sense justice in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”
Schimel confirmed that the Associated Press had called the race a few minutes later, telling him that he had spoken to supporters of Milluarkey in the suburbs, “I don’t intend to look back on the numbers and I won’t be able to pull this off.”
“We’ll stand up to fight another day, but this wasn’t our day,” he added.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been making headlines with the federal workforce in piloting Trump’s recently created government efficiency, handing out about $20 million in Wisconsin races through the Arrid Group to support Shimmel.
And in a controversial move, Musk handed out a $1 million check at a meeting in Green Bay on Sunday evening, with two Wisconsin voters already voting in the contest and signing a petition to stop the “activist judge.”
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The Wisconsin Democratic Attorney General appealed to block payments, but the state Supreme Court refused to measure it.
Elon Musk will speak at City Hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Sunday, March 30th, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Calling the election “a huge deal,” Musk said it was important to Trump’s agenda.
“I think this is important for the future of civilization,” he said. “That’s so important.”
The right mega donor playing in the Wisconsin showdown was not a mask.
Shipping from one of the nation’s biggest conservative contributors, Richard and Elizabeth Wylein, also provided millions to support Simel and Wisconsin GOP.
“If I had said this was going to happen six months ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. But yeah… some of this is already beyond my control,” Schimel said in a digital interview with Fox News at a bus tour stop just outside Green Bay.
Schimel, who began bidding 16 months ago, added, “We can handle the way others want this, if they want to make it a referendum for the president or Elon Musk.”
“This is a Wisconsin referendum,” he said. “Can we restore objectivity to the Wisconsin Supreme Court?”
Wisconsin’s Big Money High Court race has national effects, including rezoning, unionization, and trans issues.
Simel also leaned against Trump’s support. The TV ads running on the race’s closure stretch have highlighted the voting for Simel protecting Trump’s agenda. The candidates also wore hats “make America great again” with several campaign halts over the final weekend before the election.
Judge Brad Simel, a conservative candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, told a Republican activist in Bellevue, Wisconsin, on March 31, 2025.
Schimel lit up his final blitz with a spontama and reached out to voters.
“We have six or eight meetings every day in cities in the state,” he said. “They’re going to be a huge number of people. We’re doing the exact same thing because no other agents are out around the state. It’s absolutely going to drive out voters.”
Simel also received support from Americans from conservative power organisations to prosper. The group said the grassroots forces have been connected to around 600,000 voters in Wisconsin since the election last November.
President Donald Trump will speak to reporters before signing the executive order in his oval office on March 31, 2025 (Pool via the Associated Press)
Trump, who carried Wisconsin narrowly with both White House victory, said the state is important as the Supreme Court can resolve disputes over election outcomes.
“Wisconsin is a big political state and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with the election in Wisconsin,” the president told the White House on Monday. “Wisconsin is a big deal, so the Supreme Court’s choice…it’s a big race.”
The Simel camp and other conservatives have repeatedly argued that the continued liberal majority in Wisconsin’s high court could lead to rezoning of unfavourable legislative legislatives in the state.
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Asked about conservatives shining the spotlight of potential constituencies in Congress, Crawford told reporters Monday, “As a judge, it is not appropriate to express your views on that, especially on the issue that could one day come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”
Judge Susan Crawford, a liberal candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, will speak at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin on March 31, 2025 (FOX News – Paul Steinhauser)
Tuesday’s election was the first statewide contest to be held since Trump returned to the White House, and was an opportunity for many voters to oppose the president and his policies.
Crawford enjoyed a surge in fundraising thanks to a lively base eager to resist Trump and Republicans.
“People are really motivated and want to make sure they protect the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” Crawford said in a digital interview with Fox News after a rally in Madison the night before the election.
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Crawford argued that voters “don’t want outsiders, billionaires to come and buy a seat at the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is what Elon Musk is trying to do.”
At her rally, Crawford said, “This election will determine all of our fundamental rights and freedoms.”
But Crawford also benefited from outside money, and for a long time, the right-wing boogeyman, about $2 million injected into the race by left-leaning investor George Soros. The progressive government of neighboring Illinois billionaires spent a lot of money in the race to support Crawford.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidates Brad Simel and Susan Crawford are taking part in a discussion in Milwaukee on March 12, 2025 (AP Photo/Molly Gash)
“I made some generous contributions and we raised a lot of money in this race,” she told Fox News. “But to put that into perspective, over the past two months, Elon Musk has spent more than he raised over the last 10 months of this campaign, so his spending has been on the previous and certainly warped the individual spending of any of the state Supreme Court individuals in Wisconsin.”
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Crawford and Schimmel were fighting to replace Anne Walsh Bradley of liberal justice who had served on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court for nearly 30 years. Justice, which lined up with the liberals, was a 4-3 majority in the state Supreme Court heading for Tuesday’s election.
The showdown brought together several top deputies in Wisconsin. These include Vermont progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders and Magaster’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
The Democratic National Committee targeted Musk in a statement following Crawford’s victory.
“Don’t make a mistake. Americans don’t want Elon Musk to run the federal government, so they don’t want him to buy local elections,” the DNC argued.
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in New Hampshire.
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