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In remarks to supporters after her projected victory against Elon Musk-backed Brad Schimel for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, liberal Judge Susan Crawford said the state’s voters “fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy.”
Crawford’s election to the battleground state’s highest court marks one of the first major electoral tests of Donald Trump’s presidency and the power of Elon Musk’s money.
The race has served as a proxy battle over the nation’s political future in the wake of Trump’s chaotic first few months back in the White House alongside the world’s wealthiest man, who has pumped tens of millions of dollars into the race.
Her election preserves a 4-3 liberal majority at the state’s Supreme Court, which is expected to hear major cases involving abortion access, voting rights and the contours of the state’s congressional districts, among other issues.
“This campaign has been an incredible, life-altering experience, in so many ways, and I’m so grateful to have earned the trust and support of voters across this great state,” Crawford told supporters Tuesday after the race was called.
“As a little girl, growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I would be taking on the richest man in the world — for justice, in Wisconsin, and we won,” she said, smiling.
Wisconsin voters “fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court, and Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price,” Crawford said.
“Our courts are not for sale,” she declared.
Musk and political groups tied to the billionaire spent roughly $20 million to support Schimel’s campaign, including more than $7 million in television advertising alone. On Tuesday, his America PAC offered $50 to voters to “snap a picture outside of a voting location” with a Wisconsin resident “holding a photo” of Schimel.
Crawford, whose campaign was supported by the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, received endorsements from prominent national Democrats who helped raise more than $17 million.
Her 10-year term begins in August.
