Why such interest in a state judicial contest? For one, the Wisconsin Supreme Court may redraw district boundaries ahead of the next midterm elections, potentially making two seats notionally Democratic.
“This election could decide who controls the United States House of Representatives, which then determines in large part how America is governed, and then the future of the world,” Musk said in a public broadcast on his X social media platform.
“It’s one of those strange situations where a seemingly small election could determine the fate of western civilisation. The fate of the world may rest on ... a very significant situation in Wisconsin.”
A few hours later, on Fox News, Musk unloaded on Crawford and liberal judges in a Trump-ian rant. “They’re trying to stop the will of the people through judicial trickery,” he complained.
“There is a huge problem with activists who are actually politicians in judges’ robes. These fake judges should be ashamed of themselves. They’re just pretending to be judges. They’re making the law instead of implementing the law. It’s wrong.”
He may have been overselling it, but the election was significant. For one, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will likely rule on the legal status of abortion in that state. For 60-something sisters Nancy and Carol Rank, it was enough to motivate them to attend their first political rally last week, in the town of Kenosha on Lake Michigan.
They were moved by the experience of their niece, who was caught up in the legal uncertainty over abortion and related medical procedures after Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022.
Sisters Carol and Nancy Rank at a campaign event for Judge Susan Crawford in Kenosha, Wisconsin.Credit: Michael Koziol
“She was pregnant with twins, and she lost them both,” Carol said. Her niece needed a procedure known as a dilation and curettage.
“She went to the hospital and they sent her home. A day or two later, she’s bleeding out, and she has to call the ambulance to take her back to the hospital. I don’t know why they didn’t keep her in the hospital ... She bled out at home. She passed out.”
Outside Wisconsin, the results will ripple through American politics. Democrats, who had already identified Musk as the weak link in the Trump administration’s chain for his slash-and-burn cuts to government services and departments, will be emboldened in their strategy.
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Republicans, who have already faced a backlash over Musk’s activities from angry constituents at town hall meetings, will start to worry even more about the trust Trump has placed in his controversial lieutenant.
And everyone will learn: you can’t just buy an election.
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