Democrats are putting a lot of pressure on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race.
Declared the most expensive in judicial history this week, it’s not only an early test for Democrats looking to regroup after federal losses in 2024, but also a watershed moment for billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, whose super PAC has poured millions into the race — at least, that’s how the Democrats are casting it.
This is “the first race since November in which Elon Musk has made one candidate his personal priority. Musk has now put more money into helping Brad Schimel than any donor has ever invested in any candidate for a judicial office in American history,” Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, told NOTUS. “If voters reject Brad Schimel and elect Susan Crawford, it does demonstrate that Elon Musk is a political liability.”
Musk is boosting Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel and attacking his liberal opponent, Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford. Outside groups — which legally cannot coordinate spending with campaigns — are more important for Schimel, whose campaign has raised about half as much money as Crawford’s. But in many ways, the contest between Schimel and Crawford has become a referendum on Musk. If Schimel wins on April 1, Musk could position himself as kingmaker for Republican-backed candidates.
DPW and Crawford-aligned groups are making targeted efforts in their advertising to link Musk to the race. DPW released a T.V. ad last week that said Schimel “begged” for fundraising — and Musk delivered. Wikler said it ran “all over the state,” including during March Madness basketball games, and would continue running in the final stretch this week.
Crawford herself has leaned into talking about Musk, stating in a campaign email to the press, “I’m grateful for the historic outpouring of grassroots support across Wisconsin from folks who don’t want Elon Musk controlling our Supreme Court.”
A fundraising text earlier this month supportive of Crawford included a link to her campaign and read: “We’ve now seen Elon Musk in the Oval Office. We can’t let him buy his way onto Wisconsin’s Supreme Court.”
Wikler’s getting help from the national party as well. The Democratic National Committee last week announced it was getting into the race with its earliest post-November investment ever and the goal of reaching 2 million voters before Election Day — one Wikler said has been surpassed already.
Musk has taken center stage in Washington as he moves to slash the size and scope of the federal government. Democrats have hammered Republicans over Musk’s unprecedented access and influence within the White House after America PAC spent more than $250 million supporting President Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2024 election.
“He’s made himself a lightning rod by choice, and because he’s a controversial figure in Washington, I think it’s an easy connection for Democrats to make and hope that voters who are upset by what’s going on in DC will turn out in the election for them,” said Barry Burden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Elections Research Center.
Musk’s America PAC and a 501(c)(4) nonprofit called Building America’s Future account for nearly one in every five dollars spent in the Wisconsin race, according to an analysis released Monday by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Musk has donated nearly all of America PAC’s funds, and while Building America’s Future does not disclose its donors, the billionaire has reportedly donated to the group. The entities also share at least one consultant, Andrew Romeo, a principal at P2 Public Affairs who runs communications for America PAC and serves as a senior adviser for Building America’s Future.
Romeo, who declined to comment on the record, sent a memo that included a survey showing Schimel within five points of Crawford — remarkable gains from two weeks earlier when he trailed by 13 points.
“The negative assault on Crawford on broadcast television is working,” Romeo wrote in the memo. “Building America’s Future recently cut a spot capitalizing on Crawford’s comments from last week’s debate doubling down on her record of reduced sentences, and our data shows it will move numbers. We expect to continue to drive that message for the duration of the race on broadcast as well [as] ensure we target it to Crawford’s base through other means.
Musk isn’t the only billionaire spending big in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Fair Courts America, a group with ties to billionaire Uline founder Richard Uihlein, has supported Schimel; Richard Uihlein donated over $4 million to the group in February of this year per Wisconsin campaign finance records.
State campaign finance records indicate he and his wife Elizabeth have donated over $3.8 million to the Republican Party of Wisconsin since the beginning of this year. Diane Hendricks, a Wisconsin billionaire, has also donated over $3 million to RPW this year. RPW has transferred millions to Schimel’s campaign, in keeping with state law that allows for unlimited transfers from the state parties to candidates.
Republicans, too, are pointing the finger at big spending on the liberal side, specifically highlighting liberal billionaire George Soros’s donation to the tune of $1 million to DPW this year. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has also given $500,000.
“It feels about like a presidential election, to be honest. It’s a very intense campaign,” Burden said. “Some have speculated it might reach $100 million, and that happens in a very short period of time. It’s not $100 million spread over months of a presidential campaign, it’s that amount of money spent in less than two months.”
High turnout in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race will also likely have down-ballot impacts as well, Burden added, including a state superintendent race and a proposed constitutional amendment that would require identification to vote in elections.
Adding to the intensity, America PAC is breaking out a tried-and-true tactic from the 2024 election: cold hard cash.
America PAC announced last week that it would offer $100 to registered Wisconsin voters who sign a petition opposing “activist judges” and another $100 for each petition signer they refer.
Burden said the Wisconsin initiative “walks right up to the line of what’s legal” since it does not offer signers money to vote, which would be illegal.
During the 2024 presidential election, America PAC gave $1 million each day to registered voters who signed a similar pledge to support free speech and gun rights. While Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and the super PAC to stop the sweepstakes, a Pennsylvania judge denied the injunction request the day before the November election.
“In terms of the black and white letter of the law, it’s probably allowed. It’s very unusual. We’ve not seen anything like that before,” Burden said. “Musk is an innovator in lots of ways, in politics and in space travel and electric cars and other things. And in campaign finance, he’s an innovator.”
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Taylor Giorno is a reporter at NOTUS. Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.