Susan Crawford, a democratic judge, won the Wisconsin race. Her rival was conservative Brad Schimel. Elon Musk was the subject of Democratic attacks for Schimel’s campaign. This result is predicted to potentially affect the balance of power in Congress. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is projected to have a significant role in the 2026 midterm elections, along with the 2028 presidential election. Susan Crawford won 54% of the votes, while Schimel won 45%.
Who is Susan Crawford?
Susan Crawford is a former lawyer for Planned Parenthood who supported abortion rights during her campaign. Though Susan Crawford’s victory was a setback for Trump’s campaign because Wisconsin was a swing state during the 2024 presidential election, he received two congressional seats in Florida.
Musk’s Role in The Race
Musk visited Florida to give millions of dollars to those who pledged to support conservative causes. Milwaukee, a city that leans left, had a shortage of ballots due to unprecedented voter turnout.
Wisconsin also voted for a law that required voters to show a form of identification in order to cast their ballots. Voters were already required to do this, but the law was added to the state constitution, which makes the requirement more difficult to change in the future. Susan Crawford was opposed to this voter ID constitutional amendment.
Bucks fans spoke to BBC News about the concerns regarding the election, especially in terms of their dislike for Musk. Susan Crawford was also a recipient of large donations from billionaires, but Musk outspent all of them. Susan Crawford’s donors included Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Most of the Democratic campaign focused on the role Musk had in the Department of Government Efficiency, which is a task force that has fired thousands of government workers while also slashing the federal payroll. Musk also donated more than a quarter of a billion dollars to aid in electing Trump.
During his recent rally, Musk alluded to the debate between congressional districts by saying that the judicial race was about having control of the House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold six of the state’s eight seats in the House of Representatives.
Musk contributed to making the race the most expensive judicial contest in history. Legal experts say Musk has defied the US Constitution. This has happened as Trump has taken steps to increase his scope of authority while also using the federal government in his favor.
There were some people in the state who did not vote for the Republican party, but they were aware of the large sum of money that Musk put into the race. Some feel it is a shame that such a large amount of money has to be spent on a judicial race.
