Liberal Susan Crawford defeated conservative Brad Schimel, winning a 10-year term and retaining the 4-3 liberal Supreme Court majority in a state bitterly divided between a Democratic governor and Republican legislature, where the nominally nonpartisan high court has often functioned as a third, tie-breaking partisan body.
Wisconsin rebuffs Trump
Stakes were already high, with control over the Supreme Court in a critical presidential battleground on the line in Wisconsin.
Neither were on the ballot, however Badger State voters were weighing in on Trump (who won Wisconsin during 2016, lost it in 2020 and smashed it last year in 2024, all by tiny margins), Musk, and their performance so far.
Musk’s millions
Aided by Musk’s millions, along with other plutocrats across the aisle, funding the most expensive legal race in the country
The tech billionaire, along with aligned groups, threw in some $20 million into the race and thrust himself into the midst of the election with an appearance.
“There are about 200,000 voters who voted for Donald Trump last November, who just historically don’t vote in spring elections,” Scott Walker told the media.
With Crawford’s win, liberals will keep [ their 4-3 advantage on the leading court and have the last say on key issues faced by the justices, ranging from abortion to voting laws – and potentially – redrawing congressional maps that right now give Republicans in the state 6 of the 8 House seats.
“He’s a good foil,” a Democratic strategist stated about Musk. “Trump is a good foil in many ways, but at the end of the day, a lot of people voted for Trump. Nobody voted for Elon Musk, especially the outsized role he has played.”
Wisconsin proves it’s a purple state.
Schimel’s loss is a loss of face for Trump – and an even costlier humiliation for Musk. But it’s too soon to say what it spells for Wisconsin’s political future.
For years, Wisconsin Democrats have worked to claw their way back to power after being hammered by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. In recent years, those efforts have started to bear fruit.
GOP’s growing margins
“We have a slim margin. We don’t want to take any chances. We don’t want to experiment,” Trump stated last week.
Losses in Florida would have ignited full-blown panic for Republicans on Capitol Hill — and made Johnson’s job of keeping together an ideologically weak caucus even more difficult.
The GOP averted that potential catastrophe.
However, the Republican Party continues to remain on edge.
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