Wisconsin voters on Tuesday will elect a single state Supreme Court member in a special election that will determine if the bench keeps its liberal majority.
Why it matters: The swing state race is the first major election in the U.S. since November and has become the most expensive judicial race in American history.
- The winning candidate will serve a 10-year term.
State of play: The election has become a proxy battle for greater partisan political fights in the U.S., although both candidates are technically nonpartisan.
- Off-year elections typically see lower turnout than midterm and presidential elections, but the race will show the power of President Trump’s coalition.
Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge and former state attorney general has been backed by Trump and Elon Musk.
- If he wins, the court will have a conservative majority until at least 2026.
Susan Crawford, a Dane County Circuit Court judge, has received support from former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros.
- If she wins, the court will have a liberal majority until at least 2028.
Context: The primary, initially scheduled for February, was canceled because only two candidates filed to run.
- Liberals have held a majority since 2023.
Elon Musk’s involvement
By the numbers: Musk has spent millions on the race.
- It’s the most expensive state Supreme Court race on record, at $68.1 million total spent on advertising as of March 26, per AdImpact.
Between the lines: Musk on Sunday gave $1 million checks to two people at an event in an effort to turn out the vote.
- Wisconsin’s Supreme Court justices unanimously declined to hear a lawsuit alleging that Musk’s actions violated state law.
Abortion, redistricting, voting rules on the table
The big picture: The state’s Supreme Court, as of March 14, had pending cases concerning abortion rights, voting rules and legislative redistricting.
- In 2023, a liberal justice won a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 11 percentage points, which reflected an adverse reaction to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, wrote in March.
- “This year, Republicans want the debate to be driven by support for Donald Trump in a state he won just a few months ago,” Waldman wrote.
Go deeper: Exclusive: Elon Musk group’s playbook in Wisconsin’s court race
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details.
