On Tuesday, residents of the Badger State will have their final opportunity to cast their votes in a race of significant stakes for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
This election, officially nonpartisan, features Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who has the Democratic Party’s backing, competing against Republican-endorsed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel. This contest has become the costliest judicial election in American history, with campaigns and supporting groups spending over $81 million. The race has attracted endorsements and campaign appearances from prominent national figures, including Elon Musk and Vermont Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders.
Some view the race as an early indicator of voter sentiment towards President Trump’s tenure, while it is also a critical statewide election that could influence the ideological balance of Wisconsin’s narrowly divided highest court.
The current liberal majority stands at 4-3, and the court is anticipated to deliberate on significant matters concerning abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union authority, and voting and election laws.
As of Monday morning, 644,800 advance ballots had been returned, marking approximately a 40% increase compared to the advance total in Wisconsin’s 2023 judicial race, which itself set a turnout record. About one-third of these ballots have been returned from the heavily Democratic counties of Milwaukee and Dane, near Madison, consistent with their share from the advance vote in 2023.
Nineteen percent of these advance ballots have emerged from the WOW counties in the Milwaukee suburbs—Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington—which is a slight increase compared to their share in 2023.
Considering that the more liberal candidate secured a double-digit victory in the 2023 race, the initial turnout data bode well for Crawford. However, a significant volume of voting is anticipated to occur on Election Day, when Schimel might narrow the gap.
Musk, the world’s richest individual and an ally of Mr. Trump, has actively campaigned and conveyed substantial financial support in an effort to influence voters in Schimel’s favor. Both Musk and Trump have endorsed him.
Notably, Musk’s campaign effort hit a snag when he was sued for promising to distribute $1 million to individual voters at a campaign event over the weekend.
On Sunday, the court unanimously opted not to take up a last-minute plea from the state’s Democratic attorney general to prevent billionaire Musk’s checks from being distributed. Following the ruling, Musk handed oversized mock checks for $1 million to two individuals at a rally, stating that the funds were conditional on them being representatives for his political organization.
Of the seven justices currently on the court, five have pledged their support to candidates in this election. The court’s liberal justices back Crawford, while one conservative justice has endorsed Schimel, who campaigned adorned with a “Make America Great Again” hat on Sunday.
Polling stations in Wisconsin will close on Tuesday at 8 p.m., which is also the final deadline for absentee ballots to be submitted to municipal clerks.
