OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — With two weeks to go until Wisconsin’s April 1 spring election, the race for state Supreme Court has intensified as surrogates stump for the candidates.
Donald Trump Jr. was the latest to hit the campaign trail in the Badger State for Brad Schimel, who is backed by conservatives in the technically nonpartisan race.
Republican strategists have speculated that President Donald Trump himself, or possibly Vice President JD Vance, could also visit Wisconsin before the election. However, for now, it was the president’s son who rallied supporters at The Dockhaus in Oconomowoc on Monday evening.
With the ideological balance of the state’s high court up for grabs, during Monday night’s town hall hosted by Turning Point Action, speakers and supporters alike stressed what they believe is at stake on April 1.
“They can stop the legislation or the authority of what the president is trying to get done, his administration, they can just stop it,” Hilario Deleon, chairman of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County, explained.
If liberal-leaning justices hold on to the power they have had since 2023, conservatives worry the state’s voter ID law could be rolled back. They also fear congressional maps could be redrawn and put two seats in jeopardy for their party.
“The people of Wisconsin are going to turn out in droves,” Deleon added. “Many people in this room, including myself, have been out there every single day pounding the pavement, putting up 4x8s, knocking on doors, getting out the yard signs, and educating the voters that there’s an election on April 1.”
For Schimel himself, seeing that support is reassuring in what is shaping up to be a tight race.
“I’ve been running all around this state for almost 16 months now and we’re seeing the result of that,” Schimel said. “When people turn out in numbers like this, it’s showing that it works. That grassroots campaign, going to voters where they are matters.”
Meanwhile, during the event, protesters continued to voice their concerns about Schimel’s candidacy and who has backed his bid.
Democrats will have their own big-name surrogate come to the state this week. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be in Eau Claire on Tuesday to talk about Elon Musk’s influence on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
“Days after mugging for the camera in front of a gigantic inflatable Donald Trump, Brad Schimel is rushing to share the stage with the junior-sized version, making clear there is no embarrassment he won’t bear to capture a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for Trump and Elon Musk," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Joe Oslund said in a statement. "While Brad Schimel is busy bending the knee to Trump—any Trump he can find—Elon Musk has been busy buying him a seat on our Supreme Court, hoping to remove any obstacle to the extreme Musk-Trump agenda here in Wisconsin. Wisconsinites want a Supreme Court justice who is independent, who will give everyone a fair shake, and who will rule based on the law—that’s Susan Crawford.”
