Historic Victory for Judge Susan Crawford in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
In a significant political showdown, liberal candidate Susan Crawford emerged victorious in her bid for a critical seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, successfully overcoming an unprecedented $25 million in campaign spending from billionaire Elon Musk. This pivotal contest not only highlighted the deepening political divides in the nation but also served as a crucial test of the prevailing political sentiments across the country.
Judge Crawford, currently serving in Dane County, decisively defeated her conservative counterpart, Judge Brad Schimel of Waukesha County, who campaigned on a platform of loyalty to former President Donald Trump. Schimel’s campaign was heavily funded by Musk’s substantial financial backing, which propelled the spending in this election to nearly double the previous record for a single judicial race.
As the election results poured in, with over 70 percent of the votes counted, Judge Crawford maintained a commanding lead of approximately 10 points. In her victory address on Tuesday night, she declared, “Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections, and our Supreme Court. Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price. Our courts are not for sale.”
This outcome is a significant boost for the Democratic Party, which has faced a challenging landscape since Trump re-entered the political arena in January, aligning with Musk to push for a drastic reduction of federal agencies, reevaluation of international alliances, and a reconfiguration of the government’s relationships with universities, minority communities, immigrants, and the corporate sector.
Judge Crawford’s win follows Democratic successes in various special elections for state legislative seats in Iowa and Pennsylvania, as well as the defeat of four Republican-backed state referendums in Louisiana. This victory marks a turning point for the party, indicating that, at least in this instance, Musk’s vast political expenditures mobilized more Democrats than Republicans.
With Judge Crawford’s victory, the Wisconsin Supreme Court retains a 4-to-3 majority for liberal justices, positioning the court to make pivotal decisions on pressing issues such as abortion rights and labor regulations in the coming months.
Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times
