Susan Crawford’s victory ensures court’s liberal majority through at least 2028
A look inside the Crawford and Schimel campaigns and how Crawford won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
CRASH. WE TURN NOW TO COMMITMENT 2025 COVERAGE. FALLOUT TONIGHT FROM WISCONSIN’S HISTORIC SUPREME COURT ELECTION. THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE REPORTING ALMOST 50% VOTER TURNOUT, WITH 153,000 PEOPLE CASTING BALLOTS STATEWIDE NUMBERS YET NOT AVAILABLE. BUT RESULTS SHOW MORE THAN 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN THE STATE. IN THE STATE SUPREME COURT RACE. SUSAN CRAWFORD BEATING BRAD SCHIMEL 55% TO 45% TO KEEP THE LIBERAL MAJORITY ON THE HIGH COURT. ABC NEWS REPORTING TONIGHT THE PRESIDENT HAS INDICATED TO TOP ADVISERS ELON MUSK COULD BE TAKING A STEP BACK FROM HIS CURRENT ROLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION. THE REPORT, COMING AFTER MUSK AND HIS GROUPS CAMPAIGNED IN WISCONSIN AND SPENT $20 MILLION SUPPORTING SCHIMEL. 12 NEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR MATT SMITH IS HERE TONIGHT. HE’S BREAKING DOWN HOW CRAWFORD WON A TEN POINT VICTORY STATEWIDE FOR SUSAN CRAWFORD. SOME 237,000 VOTES. BRAD SCHIMEL UNDERPERFORMING IN KEY CRITICAL AREAS. THE SOUTHWEST AND THE NORTHEAST PARTS OF THE STATE. SUSAN CRAWFORD CUTTING INTO THOSE MARGINS, WINNING SOME COUNTIES. PRESIDENT TRUMP WON IN NOVEMBER. BRAD SCHIMEL ENDED THE NIGHT THE WAY HE STARTED IT ALONGSIDE HIS BAND IN HIS HOME, WAUKESHA COUNTY. A REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD. SCHIMEL UNDERPERFORMED IN ONE OF SEVERAL STATEWIDE. THE NUMBERS AREN’T GOING TO AREN’T GOING TO TURN AROUND. THEY’RE TOO BAD. THE FUTURE OF THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT. SUSAN CRAWFORD MUCH WILL BE MADE ABOUT THIS WIN. SUSAN CRAWFORD IN HER HOME, THE LIBERAL BASTION OF DANE COUNTY. THANK YOU FOR TRUSTING ME TO SERVE YOU ON THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT. THE FIRST GLIMMER FOR DEMOCRATS NATIONALLY IN THE STATE. PRESIDENT TRUMP WON BY THE NARROWEST OF MARGINS. AND WHERE A TRUMP ENDORSEMENT AND MILLIONS IN GIVEAWAYS FROM ELON MUSK TOOK CENTER STAGE. RECORDS SHATTERING SPENDING ON ALL SIDES. THE MOST EXPENSIVE COURT RACE IN U.S. HISTORY. I JUST THINK THE FACT THAT $100 MILLION WAS SPENT ON A SUPREME COURT RACE IS WRONG. YOU KNOW, YOU COULD YOU COULD HAVE BUILT A HOSPITAL AND BUILD A COLLEGE. YOU COULD BUILD AN EDUCATIONAL BUILDING. YOU COULD DO SO MUCH GOOD. CRAWFORD WINNING BY NEARLY 238,000 VOTES, A LANDSLIDE BY WISCONSIN STANDARDS, BACKED BY BILLIONAIRES LIKE GEORGE SOROS AND ILLINOIS GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER, AND FLANKED TUESDAY NIGHT BY THE FOUR LIBERAL JUSTICES ON THE STATE SUPREME COURT. THE COURT ITSELF. POLARIZED. I THINK WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE A POLITICAL COURT THAT RULES IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRATS. EVERY SINGLE CASE. AND ENTERING A NEW LIBERAL MAJORITY FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT THREE YEARS, WHEN SHE WILL BE SITTING ON THE BENCH, SHE WILL BE STANDING UP FOR THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN. SO, MATT, WALK US THROUGH SOME OF THE COUNTIES. BOTH PRESIDENT TRUMP AND SUSAN CRAWFORD WON. YEAH. LET’S HEAD UP NORTH FIRST. THESE WERE CRITICAL COUNTIES FOR HER WIN. NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. THIS IS BROWN COUNTY, HOME OF GREEN BAY. SUSAN CRAWFORD WINNING WITH 52% OF THE VOTE THERE. OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WHERE APPLETON IS JUST SOUTH OF THAT. SUSAN CRAWFORD WINNING 51%. AND WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WHERE OSHKOSH IS. SUSAN CRAWFORD WINNING 54 TO 46. ONE OTHER CRITICAL COUNTY IS SAUK COUNTY. THIS IS A BELLWETHER. IT IS PREDICTED THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE IN WISCONSIN. THE LAST FIVE CYCLES IT PREDICTED TRUMP, IT PREDICTED BALDWIN. AND IT PREDICTED SUSAN CRAWFORD, 57 TO 43. GUYS, THIS WAS ALL PART OF A MASSIVE PUZZLE THAT THE PIECES JUST ADDED UP ACROSS THE STATE LAST NIGHT FOR S
Susan Crawford’s victory ensures court’s liberal majority through at least 2028
A look inside the Crawford and Schimel campaigns and how Crawford won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
Updated: 6:20 PM CDT Apr 2, 2025
Brad Schimel ended the night the way he started it, alongside his band in his home state of Waukesha County, a Republican stronghold Schimel underperformed in, one of several counties statewide. “The numbers aren’t going to turn around,” Schimel told supporters Tuesday night. “They’re too bad.” Susan Crawford’s victory is the first glimmer for Democrats nationally in the state President Donald Trump won by the narrowest of margins, and where a Trump endorsement and $2 million in giveaways from Elon Musk took center stage in the final days.”I just think the fact $100 million was spent on a Supreme Court race was wrong,” former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson said. “You could have built a hospital, built a college, built an educational building. You could do so much good.” Crawford won by nearly 238,000 votes in unofficial results, a landslide in Wisconsin, backed by billionaires George Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and flanked Tuesday by the four liberal justices on the court. “I think we’re going to continue to see a political court that rules in favor of Democrats every single case,” Justice Rebecca Bradley said. The court enters that liberal majority for at least the next three years. “When she will be sitting on the bench, she will be standing up for the people of Wisconsin,” retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said.
MADISON, Wis. —Brad Schimel ended the night the way he started it, alongside his band in his home state of Waukesha County, a Republican stronghold Schimel underperformed in, one of several counties statewide.
“The numbers aren’t going to turn around,” Schimel told supporters Tuesday night. “They’re too bad.”
Susan Crawford’s victory is the first glimmer for Democrats nationally in the state President Donald Trump won by the narrowest of margins, and where a Trump endorsement and $2 million in giveaways from Elon Musk took center stage in the final days.
“I just think the fact $100 million was spent on a Supreme Court race was wrong,” former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson said. “You could have built a hospital, built a college, built an educational building. You could do so much good.”
Crawford won by nearly 238,000 votes in unofficial results, a landslide in Wisconsin, backed by billionaires George Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and flanked Tuesday by the four liberal justices on the court.
“I think we’re going to continue to see a political court that rules in favor of Democrats every single case,” Justice Rebecca Bradley said.
The court enters that liberal majority for at least the next three years.
“When she will be sitting on the bench, she will be standing up for the people of Wisconsin,” retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said.
