MILWAUKEE — In just four weeks, Wisconsinites will head to the polls again to weigh in on who they want to see on the state’s highest court.
When they do, there will be two names on the ballot: Susan Crawford, endorsed by the state’s Democratic Party, and Brad Schimel, who Republicans have lined up behind.
Tuesday afternoon, Crawford spoke at a Newsmakers Luncheon hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. During the event, she highlighted her commitment to protecting basic rights and freedoms under the state’s constitution, while also condemning attack ads in what is technically a nonpartisan race.
“Fighting for our fundamental rights, standing with those who have had them taken away, and protecting our communities — that’s all common sense experience that I bring to this race,” Crawford told the crowd at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.
The race for the state’s highest court has not only already become political, but pricey too.
“Who is Elon Musk? He seems to be an unelected righthand man to President Trump right now,” Crawford said of Musk-backed groups spending millions of dollars on attack ads against her.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which has endorsed Crawford’s campaign and made a $3 million contribution, launched a seven-figure grassroots effort on Tuesday called “The People v. Musk” to counter Elon Musk’s support of Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, who is running against Crawford.
The move comes as the party said Musk-funded groups have poured more than $5 million into the race.
“Musk and Tesla filed a lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin in an attempt to grab more control over the car market in our state,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler told reporters on a press call. “That case could very well come before the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, and Musk is counting on Brad Schimel to be the swing vote.”
Crawford, who herself received large contributions from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and philanthropist George Soros, blamed a lack of campaign finance rules during Tuesday’s luncheon.
“These races involve a lot of money. We don’t have any campaign finance rules in our state that would bring them down to a more reasonable amount,” Crawford explained. “So, you know, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to get the word out.”
Supporters of Crawford, who currently serves as a judge in Dane County, gathered at the Capitol building in Madison on Tuesday afternoon to hold a reproductive rights rally.
“Reproductive freedom is on the ballot. Now, Brad Schimel supports the 1849 abortion law, and we know that women and girls can die while they wait for life-saving help,” State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, told the crowd.
As a private attorney, Crawford previously represented Planned Parenthood and their doctors in the courtroom. However, she said she has never taken a position on any case or issue before the Supreme Court.
“I am not making any promises. I am not saying how I would decide any case and my opponent is doing the opposite,” Crawford stated. “He has taken positions on the 1849 abortion law.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Schimel campaign accused Crawford of “hoodwinking” voters by “spreading falsehoods” and pushing a “radical agenda.”
“What Crawford should have been pressed on was her weak-on-crime penchant for releasing pedophiles and murderers back onto Wisconsin streets, her willingness to offer two congressional seats in exchange for financial support, or how she sold out her objectivity to the agendas of George Soros, Bernie Sanders, and other extreme liberals,” Schimel Campaign Spokesperson Jacob Fischer said in a statement to Spectrum News. “Unlike Susan Crawford, who is clearly unfit to represent the interests of Wisconsin as an impartial justice, Judge Brad Schimel is committed to restoring fairness to the Court and saving Wisconsin from the Democrats’ radical agenda.”
Schimel will get his own turn at the Newsmaker Luncheon in two weeks on Tuesday, March 18.
