{"id":2418339,"date":"2025-04-01T09:59:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T13:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-supreme-court-race-schimel-crawford-make-final-pitch\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T10:01:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T14:01:41","slug":"wisconsin-supreme-court-race-schimel-crawford-make-final-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-supreme-court-race-schimel-crawford-make-final-pitch\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Schimel, Crawford make final pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwisconsin-supreme-court-race-schimel-crawford-make-final-pitch%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2418339&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, candidates brad Schimel and Susan Crawford made their final appeals to voters ahead of an election that has broken spending records, largely due to the involvement of high-profile figures such as Elon musk and Donald Trump supporting Schimel, a conservative. Meanwhile, Crawford has garnered support from prominent liberals, including Barack Obama and George Soros. This contest carries significant national implications, as it could influence vital issues such as abortion, redistricting, and voting regulations, potentially altering the balance of power in congress.<\/p>\n<p>over $90 million has been poured into the election,marking it as the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/high-stakes-wisconsin-supreme-court-race-may-determine-future-of-abortion-laws\/\" title=\"High-Stakes ... May Determine Future of Abortion Laws\">expensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-expensive-judicial-race-in-us-history-is-raising-questions\/\" title=\"US History&#039;s Costliest Judicial Race Sparks Concerns\">state judicial race<\/a><\/a> in U.S. history. Schimel&#8217;s campaign strategy has heavily relied on mobilizing Trump&#8217;s base, while Crawford has sought to portray schimel as an embodiment of corruption, profiting from large donations. Musk&#8217;s unprecedented financial contributions and his controversial tactics, including offering monetary rewards to voters, have added to the race&#8217;s contentious atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>With polls indicating a close race, Schimel&#8217;s strategy appears to be gaining traction, particularly as turnout efforts have ramped up substantially. The outcome of the election not only determines a seat on the wisconsin Supreme Court but also signals the potential trajectory of political influence and judicial impartiality in the state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Candidates in Wisconsin Supreme Court case make final pitch to voters<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2046128\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>MADISON, Wisconsin<\/strong> <strong>&mdash;<\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2025-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"two candidates\">two candidates<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Wisconsin's\">Wisconsin&rsquo;s<\/a> Supreme Court race made their closing arguments to supporters in an election that has shattered spending records and turned a state court contest into a battle over national politics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Both camps seemed outwardly confident heading into Tuesday&rsquo;s toss-up election. <\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3364845\/florida-special-elections-trump-wake-up-call\/\">Florida special elections give Trump wake-up call in his backyard<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3364670\/bid-curb-civil-lawsuits-senate-battleground-races-poll\/\">Longtime bid to curb civil lawsuits gets new focus in Senate battleground races: Poll<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3364623\/wisconsin-supreme-court-brad-schimel-maga-momentum-gathers\/\">Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel makes pitch to MAGA as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-supreme-court-candidate-brad-schimel-makes-pitch-to-maga-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... to MAGA - ...\">late momentum gathers<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"President Donald Trump\">President Donald Trump<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elon-musk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Elon Musk \">Elon Musk <\/a>put their financial and political muscle behind conservative candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3364623\/wisconsin-supreme-court-brad-schimel-maga-momentum-gathers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Brad Schimel\">Brad Schimel<\/a>, while former President Barack Obama, George Soros, and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) opened their wallets for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3363838\/trump-liberal-lunatic-wisconsin-supreme-court-candidate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Dane County Judge Sussan Crawford\">Dane County Judge Susan Crawford<\/a>, a liberal.<\/p>\n<p>What&rsquo;s at stake is not only a seat on the state Supreme Court but also an opportunity to affect directly the&nbsp;national&nbsp;political landscape&nbsp;that could tip the balance of power in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Congress\">Congress<\/a>. Whichever party is in power could either support or thwart Trump and Musk&rsquo;s planned vision for America.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel takes a photo with a supporter at a rally on Saturday, March 29, 2025, on a campaign stop at the American Serb Memorial Hall in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Andy Manis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a normal year, a state judicial race wouldn&rsquo;t receive much fanfare, if any. But this contest was&nbsp;turbocharged from the start by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-gov-hopefuls-side-with-union-in-fight-over-virginia-school-closures\/\" title=\"Dem Gov Hopefuls Side With Union in Fight Over Virginia School Closures\">special interest groups<\/a> and billionaires funneling over $90 million into it, making it the costliest of any state judicial race in U.S.&nbsp;history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you&nbsp;told me six months ago that this is what was going to happen, I would not&nbsp;have believed you,&rdquo; Schimel told the&nbsp;<em>Washington&nbsp;Examiner <\/em>in Waukesha. &ldquo;Some parts of this are way beyond my control anymore.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Liberals hold a 4-3 advantage on the court, but the retirement of a liberal justice this year put the ideological balance in play. The court in battleground Wisconsin is expected to rule on abortion, congressional redistricting, in which Democrats could pick up two House&nbsp;seats, Act 10, which involves collective bargaining, and voting regulations, as well as a case involving Tesla, Musk&rsquo;s electric vehicle company.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election carries profound consequences for the rule of law, judicial integrity, and the constitutional balance of power in the state,&rdquo; Tim Rosenberger, legal policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;With critical issues like election integrity, regulatory overreach, and the separation of powers hanging in the balance, Wisconsin voters have the opportunity to reaffirm the principle that courts exist to apply the law &mdash; not to rewrite it based on political whims.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rosenberger&nbsp;added that the election wasn&rsquo;t about a single seat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is about the future trajectory of Wisconsin&rsquo;s legal landscape and whether the court will uphold its role as an impartial&nbsp;arbiter or veer toward judicial activism,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk&rsquo;s backing of Schimel, the state&rsquo;s former attorney general, has been one of the most divisive issues in the race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk&rsquo;s America PAC spent millions to boost conservative&nbsp;turnout and offered $100 payments to voters who signed his <a href=\"https:\/\/theamericapac.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"America PAC petition\">America PAC petition<\/a>. During an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3363820\/musk-2-million-says-humanity-at-stake-wisconsin-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"event in Green Bay on Sunday,\">event in Green Bay on Sunday<\/a>, Musk also handed out two $1 million checks to two people who had already voted in the election, and he referred to them as his new spokespeople since they signed his petition against activist judges. Wisconsin&rsquo;s Democratic attorney general sued Musk over the payments, but hours before Musk took the stage, the state Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3363699\/wisconsin-supreme-court-attorney-general-musk-million-giveaways-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"declined to hear\">declined to hear<\/a> the case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elon Musk holds up a check during a town hall on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo\/Jeffrey Phelps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Musk has spent over $20 million to back Schimel, making him the single largest spender in the race. America PAC has spent over $6.6 million on the election. The group created a canvassing operation of more than 500 employees who have relentlessly knocked on doors in rural areas of the state and left-leaning Madison and Milwaukee. The canvassers were paid workers, making $25 an hour, three times more than Wisconsin&rsquo;s minimum wage. The group has purportedly knocked on a million doors to push not only Schimel as a candidate but also Musk and Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Other groups with a strong ground game for Schimel include <a href=\"https:\/\/afpwisconsin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Americans&nbsp;for Prosperity-WI\">Americans&nbsp;for Prosperity-Wisconsin<\/a>. The group has spent nearly $3.5 million on the race and engaged with about 600,000 voters. Its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">layered approach includes door-knocking<\/a>, mail, and purchasing ads statewide. Not only does the group believe in Schimel, but it is hypervigilant about protecting Trump&rsquo;s agenda.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, center, speaks with supporters as former Gov. Scott Walker, left, watches on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Madison, Wisconsin. (AP Photo\/Scott Bauer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tuesday&rsquo;s election is the president&rsquo;s first test with swing-state voters following a busy few months in office. His administration has slashed thousands of federal jobs, shuttered hundreds of programs, and caused confusion over the future of everything from education to Social Security.<\/p>\n<p>Musk, the face of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-government-efficiency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Department of Government Efficiency<\/a>, has been behind unilateral efforts to gut federal agencies. He was mostly met with cheers during his Green Bay giveaway on Sunday, but outside, protesters had lined up, carrying signs in the freezing rain that read &ldquo;Deport the Nazi,&rdquo; &ldquo;Deport Musk,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Wisconsin is not for sale.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If Musk is successful in&nbsp;getting&nbsp;Schimel, who&nbsp;started out behind in the polls, elected, it will cement him as a conservative kingmaker, and his efforts in Wisconsin could become the blueprint for the midterm elections. If he fails, it would give Republicans license to distance themselves from him and some of his more controversial actions.<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic strategy in the Wisconsin&nbsp;race has been to vilify Musk, tying him to Schimel and turning him into a bogeyman who is trying to buy the election and destroy democracy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Judge Susan Crawford speaks at her final campaign event on March 31, 2025, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Barnini Chakraborty\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Let me talk about my opponent,&rdquo; Crawford said Monday night at her last campaign stop at the Majestic Theatre in Madison. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve heard of him. His name is Elon Musk.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This guy has spent over $25 million to try to take me off the Wisconsin Supreme Court. What&rsquo;s he afraid of? He&rsquo;s afraid of justice. But unfortunately, the guy whose name is on the ballot, Brad Schimel, he embraces that support. He said right when he launched this campaign that he was going to nationalize this race and bring in the conservative deep pockets from around the country to fund his campaign. After he came back from Washington, D.C., after he was there during the inauguration, attending the big fancy galas funded by the big conservative groups, he was bragging and laughing about being on his knees. &hellip; And then guess who showed up? Elon Musk.&nbsp;He&rsquo;s buying, and Brad Schimel is selling.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3364623\/wisconsin-supreme-court-brad-schimel-maga-momentum-gathers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT CANDIDATE BRAD SCHIMEL MAKES PITCH TO MAGA AS LATE MOMENTUM GATHERS\">WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT CANDIDATE BRAD SCHIMEL MAKES PITCH TO MAGA AS LATE MOMENTUM GATHERS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A near-empty balcony at the Majestic Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin. Judge Susan Crawford held her last campaign event there. Most of the supporters were told to sit on the first floor so it would look fuller, on March 31, 2025. (Barnini Chakraborty\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Momentum for Tuesday&rsquo;s race has shifted in recent days. At Crawford&rsquo;s last rally, not as many people showed up as expected, with almost the entire balcony at the Majestic Theatre empty.<\/p>\n<p>Schimel, though, has been picking up steam by bringing&nbsp;in Washington heavyweights to join him on the campaign trail. His strategy has been to get Trump&rsquo;s Make America Great Again base to come out and vote for him. He told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that if even 60% come out, he&rsquo;s a shoo-in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2046128\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2046128\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Candidates in Wisconsin Supreme Court race make final appeals to voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2418340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brad-Schimel-wisconsin.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[49252,32275,4124],"class_list":["post-2418339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-schimel","tag-supreme-court","tag-wisconsin"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brad-Schimel-wisconsin.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418339"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418343,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418339\/revisions\/2418343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}