Elon Musk-backed candidate loses Wisconsin high court race
Bloomberg |
Apr 02, 2025 09:35 AM IST
Former state attorney general Brad Schimel lost to Susan Crawford, in Wisconsin, a state where Trump narrowly carried his own election just last year.
The Democratic-backed candidate in a closely contested Wisconsin judicial race defeated a conservative rival supported by billionaire Elon Musk, preserving a liberal majority on the state’s supreme court and dealing a blow to one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent allies.
Conservatives rallied behind Brad Schimel in a bid to wrest control of the state Supreme Court.(AFP)
Conservatives rallied behind Brad Schimel in a bid to wrest control of the state Supreme Court.(AFP)
Susan Crawford, a circuit court judge, beat former state attorney general Brad Schimel in a state Trump narrowly carried in his own election just five months ago.
The off-year race in a battleground state became a major test for both parties — and the most expensive judicial contest in US history — with impacts on abortion rights and labor laws in Wisconsin as well as for congressional redistricting plans ahead of next year’s midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race.
Wisconsin is a crucial swing state in presidential elections, having backed former President Joe Biden in 2020 before flipping for Trump in 2024. Republicans hold six of its eight congressional seats but new district maps could alter that balance, imperiling the narrow advantage the party holds in the US House of Representatives.
Conservatives rallied behind Schimel in a bid to wrest control of the state Supreme Court, including Trump who endorsed the candidate about two weeks before the election. Democrats similarly highlighted the broader significance with US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries saying a Crawford victory was crucial to “have fair lines” drawn for congressional districts.
The race also offered a referendum on Musk, the world’s richest man, who used his wealth and influence to help elect Trump to the White House last year, and has become the public face of the president’s Department of Government Efficiency effort to slash the size and scope of the US government.
Elsewhere, Republicans held onto two House seats in Florida in a pair of special elections, albeit with smaller margins than the GOP candidates had in the November general election.
Split decision
In total, Tuesday’s elections showed neither Republicans nor Democrats holding a significant political edge roughly two months into Trump’s second term.
Both parties notched wins that help them advance their case to voters: Democrats scored a major victory in a state Trump won mere months ago, and cut the GOP’s advantage even in races they lost. Meanwhile, Republicans slightly padded their thin majority in the US House, crucial votes as they prepare to move Trump’s tax and immigration agenda through Congress.
Musk deployed the unorthodox playbook that brought him success in 2024, albeit one that has tested campaign finance laws, in support of Schimel. Musk and two groups he funds combined to spend $20 million, paying canvassers, buying broadcast ads and even giving away a handful of checks in the amount of $1 million to voters who signed a petition circulated by America PAC, his super political action committee.
The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX executive highlighted the stakes in a recent interview with Fox News, claiming that Democrats were trying to unfairly redraw congressional lines.
“The Democrats are trying to redraw the districts in Wisconsin, and we’re trying to stop the Democrats from gerrymandering Wisconsin,” Musk said. “That’s what this whole Supreme Court Justice case is about.”
Approximately $82 million was spent by campaigns and outside groups, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
The race drew heavyweight donors beyond Musk in support of Schimel, including Americans for Prosperity, largely funded by billionaire Charles Koch, and Fair Courts America, backed by Uline Inc. co-founder Richard Uihlein.
Deep-pocketed Democrats, though, helped Crawford, whose campaign raised $24.6 million, more than double Schimel’s haul. Those contributors included famed Hollywood producer Steven Spielberg, venture capitalist John O’Farrell of Andreessen Horowitz and physician Karla Jurvetson, a major Democratic donor.
Crawford’s victory is likely to bolster Democrats in the state and nationally with the party largely struggling to decide how best to counter Trump’s second term agenda. Trump’s frenetic pace has seen a flurry of executive actions as he looks to reshape the US economy and government.
The Wisconsin judicial contest as well as special elections for two congressional seats in Florida, though, had appeared to galvanize Democrats, who also poured money into the latter races in a bid to chip away at the GOP’s House majority.
Elon Musk
Wisconsin
Read breaking news, latest updates from United States on topics related to politics, crime, along with national affairs. Stay up to date with news developments on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
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