Race of the Supreme Wisconsin Court: the liberal Susan Crawford beats the candidate supported by muscles | Wisconsin

Susan Crawford won the race for a headquarters at the Supreme Wisconsin Court on Tuesday, a major victory for the Democrats who had led the race as a referendum on Elon Musk and the popularity of Donald Trump.

Crawford, a liberal judge of Dane County, beat Brad Schimel, a former republican attorney general and conservative judge of the county of Waukesha, after Musk and groups associated with the technological billionaire spent millions to stimulate his candidacy in what has become the most expensive judicial competition in American history.

“Today, Wisconsinites have rejected an unprecedented attack on our democracy,” Crawford said in a speech during his victory evening event in Madison. “Wisconsin got up and said strongly that justice was priceless. Our courts are not for sale. “

With more than 84% of the votes counted, Crawford led Schimel of nearly 10 percentage points.

In remarks on Tuesday evening, Schimel said that he and his team “left nothing on the field” and announced that he had conceded the race during a call to his opponent before going on stage. When his supporters began to huer, Schimel arrested them. “No, you have to accept the results,” he said, adding: “The figures will not turn around. They are damage, and we are not going to succeed.”

Musk declared hours after the result that “the long idiot of the left is the corruption of the judiciary” and that the most important thing was that a vote on the addition of the requirements for the identification of the voters was adopted.

The result means that the liberals will keep an ideological majority 4-3 at the Supreme Court of the State. This majority is extremely important because the court will hear important affairs on abortion and collective negotiation rights. The court could also consider cases which could lead the State to redraw its eight districts of the Congress, which are currently attracted by advantageous Republicans.

Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, pointed out a “historic participation” for a spring election, with electoral officials saying in a statement on Tuesday evening due to “unprecedented high participation”, seven polling stations lacked ballots. The city’s electoral commission said it worked to reconstruct the resources to voters during the evening rush.

A handset of more than $ 80 million was spent on the race, exceeding the previous record of some $ 51 million spent in the Supreme Court of the State of Wisconsin 2023. Elon Musk and affiliated groups spent more than $ 20 million alone. Musk has taken over some of the tactics he used last fall to help Trump win, including $ 100 to people who signed an opposite petition to “militant judges” and to offer a check for $ 1 million to voters.

Stressing the potential to redraw the districts of the house, Musk said that the race “could decide the future of America and Western civilization”.

The Democrats seized Musk’s participation in the race for the revitalization of voters who were upset by the distress ball, he and his “unofficial government ministry” or DOGE, brought federal agencies. They raised the challenges of an already high competition by enveloping the Wisconsin as a test for Musk, saying that if he succeeded, he would take his model across the country.

“Growing up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, I never thought I would adopt the richest man in the world for justice,” Crawford said on Tuesday evening. “And we won.”

After Musk’s participation became public, the Democrats saw an explosion in basic donations and people “leaving the woodwork” to get involved in the race, said Ben Wikler, president of the State Democratic Party last month. When the party has tested its messages, said Wikler, messages that highlighted Musk’s involvement in the breed motivated voters who were otherwise disengaged from politics.

Jeannine Ramsey, 65, voted on Tuesday in Madison for Crawford because she said that “Brad Schimel supported by Elon Musk would not reign fairly on the most important questions for her.

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“I think it is shameful that Elon Musk can come here and spend millions of dollars and try to bribe the citizens,” said Ramsey. “I don’t think it should be allowed. He does not live in our state, and I do not think he should be able to buy this election. It makes me angry. “

Trump won the Wisconsin in the presidential election in November by less than 1 percentage point – the closest margin of any battlefield.

Because the participation rate in an election of the Supreme Court of the State is lower than that of a typical election and those who vote tend to be very committed, the experts warned against the attempt to read the results of the elections for national political feeling too much. However, there were encouraging signs for the Democrats.

“The hard work of reaching voters who pay the least attention to politics will take years to the Democrats to build this type of communication force which can puncture the republican propaganda bubble,” Wikler said in March. “But for having laid the foundations for the reversal of the Chamber and the Senate in 2026 and the victory of the governors and the legislative majorities of the States, the race of the Supreme Court can really indicate the way.”

Ken Martin, president of the National Democratic Committee, also celebrated the result.

“Tonight, the inhabitants of Wisconsin have completely rejected the influence of Elon Musk, Donald Trump and special billionaire interests. And their message? Stay outside our elections and move away from our courts,” he said in a statement.

In Madison, Crawford said that she was ready to turn away from the campaign track, which she described as a “life experience”, on the bench, where she promised to “provide fair and impartial decisions”. By concluding his remarks, Crawford wished his mother, looking from your home, a happy birthday and joked: “I know how happy you are to see the television ads end.”

Jenny Peek contributed to Madison, Wisconsin reports