Billionaire Contributions Escalate Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Spending
The recent Wisconsin Supreme Court race has set a new record for spending in U.S. court elections, surpassing $100 million. This milestone was largely driven by significant contributions from billionaires such as Elon Musk and George Soros, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice.
This record-breaking expenditure is approximately twice the previous high of $51 million, set during another Wisconsin Supreme Court election in 2023. Both elections were pivotal in determining the court’s ideological direction in this critical battleground state.
To offer context, the amount spent on this single race is equivalent to the total expenditure on 68 supreme court elections across 26 states during 2021 and 2022, as noted by the Brennan Center.
In the recent election, Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford emerged victorious over Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel. Notably, Schimel had the backing of both Musk and former President Donald Trump.
The financial details reveal that Musk personally invested at least $3 million in the race, with organizations he supports contributing an additional $19 million. On the other side, Democratic billionaires George Soros and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker collectively contributed $3.5 million to support Crawford’s campaign.
An interesting facet of Musk’s involvement was his America PAC distributing $1 million checks to three Wisconsin voters who opposed “activist” judges, a move that faced legal scrutiny but remained unchallenged after a court ruling.
The race attracted contributions from several other billionaires, driving unprecedented voter turnout for a Wisconsin judicial election without a concurrent presidential primary. Over 50% of eligible voters participated, resulting in Crawford’s 10-point victory.
This victory maintains a 4-3 liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a balance crucial for upcoming cases related to abortion rights, union powers, voting regulations, and congressional redistricting.
Despite Schimel’s financial advantage, with him and his supporters spending $54 million against Crawford’s $46.2 million, he was unable to secure a win. The Brennan Center highlighted this disparity in spending.
Judicial elections, traditionally low-key and low-cost, have seen a surge in interest and expenditure in recent years. As policy battles over significant issues like abortion rights increasingly unfold in state supreme courts, their importance is rising, according to Douglas Keith, senior counsel at the Brennan Center.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court race has ventured into financial territories usually reserved for gubernatorial contests. For comparison, the 2022 Wisconsin governor’s race, won by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, reached a record $164 million in spending.
