Election Snapshot: 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court
It’s no April Fools joke- April 1st has some big elections for Wisconsinnites. In this post, I discuss the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
Waukesha Circuit Court Judge and former Attorney General Brad Schimel faces Dane County Circuit Court Judge and former chief legal counsel Susan Crawford. While ostensibly non-partisan, Schimel is the conservative/Republican candidate and Crawford is the liberal/Democrat candidate.
Why is this election so important? The Wisconsin Supreme Court is composed of 7 Justices and whomever wins will either keep the court 4–3 in favor of the liberals or flip it to 4–3 in favor of the conservatives. Ever since the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision, abortion is a key issue the state supreme court could face, along with redistricting lawsuits that will affect state and federal elections.
Furthermore, Schimel vs. Crawford is a referendum on the second Trump administration along with prominent donors such as George Soros and Elon Musk, who have poured millions into the race. Musk has contributed the most by any single individual. As with most things political, what will happen on April 1st will affect state and national politics for months and years to come.
As a result, this election has become the most expensive state supreme court election in U.S. history, surpassing the 2023 showdown between Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz and and former Justice Daniel Kelly. Again, that is the entire county’s history, not only Wisconsin’s. As retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley stated, “this (massive spending) is how elections are done now.
Schimel and Crawford only had one debate in mid-March. As you might expect, it was fiery. You can watch the entire exchange or the highlights.
It may seem weird that a supreme court justice has to run for elections. Unlike U.S. Supreme Court Justices, who are appointed and serve for life until they resign, pass away or are impeached, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices are elected to 10 year terms. In case you were hoping that we would be spared from this in coming years, I have some bad news: there’s a state Supreme Court race every year until 2030.
So far, early turnout has almost doubled this year from the 2023 race, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Marquette Law School Professor Charles Franklin says that Dane, Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties are the main beneficiaries, with counties that Harris won are up by 60,000 and counties that Trump won are up by 105,000. We don’t yet know who benefits from those votes- remember Trump won Wisconsin by less a percent. Intriguingly, after Trump and other prominent Republicans cast doubt on early voting in the past, especially with the 2020 presidential election, they have worked very hard to cut down their disadvantage compared to Democrats.
Polling on Schimel vs. Crawford isn’t as plentiful as with the presential races, but we have a couple of results. Crawford holds a 8 point lead per SoCal Strategies and a 7 point lead per RMG Research.
It’s gonna be a bloody battle on April 1st. Potentially beyond. If you’re a Badger, flex those voting muscles and dance with your voting booth!