MADISON, Wis. — Big contributions continue to pour into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, which now tops $76 million, according to the latest tally by WisPolitics.
The question is no longer whether spending records will be broken. Instead, many voters wonder by how much, as some insiders predict the race could break $100 million.
Both candidates have benefited from those contributions in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race.
Earlier this week, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) invested in the race in support of Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, which was interesting for a couple of reasons; It was not only the earliest-ever new election cycle investment, but it also was the first big post 2024 election spending by the party.
“Through influences, through podcasts, through streaming channels, we’re trying to be on every screen that glows in the state, and also every place that people gather,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler explained. “And what we’re finding is that like in 2023, people do not want a total abortion ban. Unlike in 2023, there’s this additional factor of Elon Musk.”
Musk is the person Democrats want to get the word out about, and the state party will have some help doing that, thanks to the national party.
As early voting got underway this week, the DNC announced a historically early investment into the Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign to host phone banks and call more than two million voters on behalf of Crawford.
“We’re going to make sure folks know that Elon Musk has poured more than $13 million into trying to buy the seat for Brad Schimel and that Musk’s message to Republican voters is that Schimel will advance Trump’s agenda,” Wikler added.
According to AdImpact, Crawford is up to almost $22 million in ad buy reservations for the campaign, with $8.3 million scheduled over the last two weeks leading up to the election. Meanwhile, her opponent, Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel had spent $9.5 million on ads, including $1.5 million scheduled for the remaining two weeks of the campaign.
Wisconsin Family Action, an organization that strives to advance Judeo-Christian values based on its website, has backed Schimel.
This week, the group launched a mid-six-figure campaign to reach more than 250,000 voters. The goal is to get social conservatives and evangelical-leaning voters to the polls through digital outreach, handwritten postcards, text messages, and phone calls.
“Our goal is to inform faith-based voters in Wisconsin about the role of our judiciary and to explain the radical difference between a justice who would tip the scales to favor of anti-religious ideology like Susan Crawford versus a justice like Brad Schimel who will honor the rule of law as prescribed by our state statutes and state constitution,” Wisconsin Family Action President Daniel Degner said in a statement.
Until this cycle, the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was the most expensive judicial race in the country. However, the Badger State has already broken its own previous record of $56 million in spending.
