‘‘I’m deathly afraid of Soros,‘’ he said. ‘’Why he butts his nose into our local elections is beyond me.‘’
The race is the most expensive court race on record in the U.S., with spending at $59 million, the Brennan Center for Justice said Monday based on its own tally. The amount broke the record set by the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2023 and is sure to go higher, with the election still two weeks away.
The contest has attracted more than $11 million in spending from groups backed by Musk, the world’s wealthiest person. The president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and conservative activist Charlie Kirk rallied Republican voters at an event on the eve of early voting’s start Monday night, which Schimel attended. Trump Jr. urged voters to engage in the race and said a win is imperative to protect his father’s agenda.
Billionaire Democrats, including Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, are spending to help Crawford in the race. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee last year, will be in Wisconsin on Tuesday night to host an anti-Musk town hall to encourage Democrats to vote early. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was planning an early voting event Tuesday with Black Leaders Organizing Communities, a Milwaukee group that works to get Black voters to the polls.
The group’s executive director, Angela Lang, said while national right-wing figures are parachuting into Wisconsin for this race alone, her group’s year-round presence gives it more credibility and trust with voters.
‘‘Whether there’s an election or not, we are still knocking on doors,‘’ Lang said. ‘’We actually are a part of the community that we organize. It feels like it hits a little bit different.‘’