Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, speaks to supporters during a campaign stop on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin. Scott Olson / Getty Images
Susan Crawford, a liberal running with the backing of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, won a seat on the state’s Supreme Court on Tuesday night, fending off millions of dollars in spending from right-wing billionaire Elon Musk.
Crawford, a judge in Dane County, focused her campaign on protecting abortion rights and portraying her opponent, former state Attorney General Brad Schimel, as a corrupt politician who would do the bidding of Musk and other large donors.
Crawford led Schimel by roughly 11 percentage points, 55% to 44%, with roughly two-thirds of the vote in.
The race was the most expensive state court election in American history, drawing more than $67 million in televisionspending and nearly $100 million in overall spending. Turnout was sky-high in the race, nearing the levels of the 2022 midterm elections.
The Wisconsin race, an off-year election held at an odd time, is the type of race the modern-day Democratic coalition and its highly engaged voters thrive in, and Crawford was long considered a slight favorite in the race.
But Musk spent at least $8 million of his own money on the race, portraying it as a way to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda. Much of that cash went to convincing low-propensity GOP voters to turn out, a replication of Musk’s strategy during the 2024 presidential election.
Crawford’s victory means liberals will retain a 4-3 advantage on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which should give them an edge both to protect abortion rights and potentially to strike down the state’s gerrymandered congressional map.
Striking down the map could create two more Democratic-leaning or swing seats, which could play a major role in helping Democrats gain House seats in the 2026 midterms. The party only needs to flip three seats to gain control of Congress’ lower chamber.
