MADISON, Wis. — The battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court has kicked off, triggering significant advertising efforts as candidates vie for control of the state’s highest judicial body.
Republican candidate Brad Schimel is set to invest $1.1 million in a television advertising campaign that will be broadcast across Wisconsin starting Tuesday. This marks the first time in this closely monitored race that television ads will be utilized, highlighting the high stakes of the upcoming election.
Schimel, who serves as a judge in Waukesha County, is up against Susan Crawford, a circuit judge in Dane County, for an open Supreme Court seat. As the election approaches on April 1, the implications of this race are significant: if Crawford secures victory, the liberal justices will maintain a 4-3 majority through at least 2028. Conversely, if Schimel wins, it would restore the conservative majority that had been lost in 2023.
The prior Supreme Court race in 2023 shattered all records for judicial campaign spending, with over $51 million spent between the two sides, according to estimates by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, an organization that monitors campaign expenses. This year’s contest is projected to potentially set even higher spending records, as both candidates are already pulling in more fundraising dollars than at the same point last year.
Crawford announced that she has raised $2.8 million from individual contributors since entering the race, while Schimel has reported $2.2 million in fundraising. The financial muscle from outside entities, including both Democratic and Republican organizations, is expected to surpass the candidates’ own expenditures significantly.
Despite the formal nonpartisan nature of Wisconsin Supreme Court races, political factions frequently rally behind their chosen candidates. The Democratic Party has backed Crawford, while Schimel, formerly Wisconsin’s Republican attorney general and an ally of President Donald Trump, strategies his campaign with conservative principles. He served as attorney general from 2015 to 2019.
The liberal-dominated court scored a significant win for Democrats in 2023 by invalidating maps drawn by Republican legislators. Key cases supported by liberal interests are poised to shape issues ranging from abortion access to challenges against Republican efforts to replace the state’s nonpartisan elections administrator. Additionally, a contentious debate over public sector union rights is amplifying the significance of this Supreme Court race.
The advertisement set to launch Tuesday is planned for broadcast and cable channels in several major cities, including Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Wausau. The victor of the election on April 1 will occupy their seat for a term of ten years.
