Updated Apr 2, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Dem-backed candidate wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race in rebuke to Trump, Musk

Sareen Habeshian

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, flanked by Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, accepts victory in her race for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice on April 01, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. — Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, flanked by Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, celebrates beating Judge Brad Schimel in Madison, Wisconsin. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Susan Crawford, a Democratic-backed judge, beat back a well-funded Republican candidate to secure a seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court on Tuesday night, according to AP.

Why it matters: Crawford's win is a rebuke to President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who poured millions into the race — and it will maintain the court's liberal tilt in a key swing state.

Tuesday's election fueled big donations from Musk and other billionaires, as Republicans aimed to overturn a liberal majority on the bench.
Wisconsin's top court is poised to carry broad sway on abortion rights, legislative redistricting and election laws.
The seven-member court now will have a liberal majority until at least 2028.

What they're saying: "Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy," said Crawford, a Dane County judge, in her victory speech in Madison, Wisconsin.

"Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price. Our courts are not for sale."
She echoed those words in a post to Musk's X.
Musk did not immediately comment on Crawford's win. But the SpaceX and Tesla CEO wrote on X in a repost on Wisconsin voters approving a constitutional amendment to add a voter ID requirement: "This was the most important thing."

The big picture: State Supreme Court races have historically been under-the-radar elections. But they've risen to national prominence, particularly after the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn the Constitutional right to abortion.

The Wisconsin contest morphed into a national proxy fight.
It's one of the first closely watched elections since the start of the second Trump administration and essentially served as a referendum on Trump.
Musk gave out $1 million checks Sunday to two people who cast ballots for the race after the state's Supreme Court declined to intervene in a legal challenge of the prize.

But Crawford beat Judge Brad Schimel, a circuit court judge and former Republican state attorney general.

By the numbers: A record $67 million had been spent on the race as of last week, according to data from the tracking firm AdImpact.

That's up from the record-breaking $51 million that was spent on the state's Supreme Court race in 2023.

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments from Justice-elect Susan Crawford and Elon Musk.

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Dem-backed candidate wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race in rebuke to Trump, Musk

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