WI Court Seat Battle: Soros Bets Big, Musk Fights Back

Billions flood Wisconsin. A high stakes battle for the future ignites. Trump and Musk rally for Schimel. Soros bankrolls Crawford. The court seat teeters on the edge. April 1st, a billion dollar showdown. Who will redraw Wisconsin's future? On March 30th, the campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice had reached a fever pitch in its final stages, with the election set for April 1st, 2025. The two candidates vying for the position are Susan Crawford, representing the liberal faction, and Brad Schimel, representing the conservative faction. Crawford is a Dane County Circuit Court judge, a former prosecutor, and currently serves as legal counsel to the Democratic governor. She is backed by liberals, Democrats, and donors such as George Soros. Her campaign emphasizes abortion rights, Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge and Republican, served as the state's Attorney General from 2015 to 2019. He is supported by conservatives, President Trump, and Elon Musk's groups. Seen as an ally of Trump, Schimel has pledged to support the president's agenda and question past court decisions. The Wisconsin Supreme Court election is a unique and critical part of the state's judicial system, reflecting its democratic traditions and the growing political stakes tied to judicial decisions. The court consists of seven justices, each serving a 10-year term. These justices are elected statewide in officially nonpartisan elections, meaning candidates do not run under explicit party labels like Democrat or Republican. In practice, however, these races are highly politicized, with candidates receiving endorsements and support from political parties and interest groups. Wisconsin Supreme Court elections are typically held in the spring, with primaries, if necessary, scheduled for the third Tuesday in February and the general election on the first Tuesday in April. This year's election on April 1st will fill the vacancy left by retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Generally, only one seat is contested each year due to staggered terms, ensuring continuity on the court. If more than two candidates file for a seat, a nonpartisan primary is held to narrow the field to the top two vote-getters. If two or fewer candidates run, the primary is skipped and the race proceeds directly to the April election. Candidates must have held a Wisconsin law license for at least five years before election or appointment and must be under 70 years old. This year's contest pits Susan Crawford, liberal-backed, against Brad Scheimel, conservative-backed, with the winner replacing Justice Bradley. The significance of the April 1st vote stems from a shift in 2023 when Janet Patasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly, flipping the court from a 4-3 conservative majority held since 2008 to a 4-3 liberal majority, the first such shift in 15 years. Her victory led to major decisions, such as the 2024 overturning of Republican-drawn legislative maps, boosting Democratic influence in the state legislature. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the state's highest judicial authority, handling significant cases involving the state constitution and laws, including the legality of district maps. Since 2011, Wisconsin's legislative districts have repeatedly faced lawsuits over alleged partisan gerrymandering, with the state Supreme Court's rulings directly determining whether these maps are upheld or redrawn. A liberal majority tends to favor redistricting to reduce Republican overrepresentation through map design, while a conservative majority prefers maintaining current maps or limiting major changes. After the liberal-controlled court struck down Republican-drawn districts in 2023, Democratic Governor Tony Evers signed new maps into law in February 2024, Senate Bill 488, making districts more competitive. While Democrats didn't flip control of either chamber, they benefited in the 2024 elections. Wisconsin's legislature is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and Assembly. Republicans have controlled both chambers since 2011, but the 2024 elections saw Democrats make notable gains. In the 33-seat Senate, Republicans hold 18 seats, while Democrats flipped several seats to reach 15. In the 99-seat Assembly, Republicans hold 54 seats, but Democrats gained a net 10 seats, rising from 35 to 45, significantly narrowing the gap. More crucially, if Democrats redraw districts further, Republicans could lose two additional U.S. House seats. Wisconsin has eight U.S. House seats, with Republicans holding six and Democrats two. Despite being a politically near 50-50 swing state with razor-thin presidential election margins, such as Trump's narrow 2024 win, the current congressional map is widely seen as favoring Republicans. This imbalance stems from districts drawn in 2011 under Republican legislative control. And while adjusted in 2022, the bias persists. In the Wisconsin Supreme Court, why is that important? Because there are gerrymandered congressional- That's right. On March 24th, U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, speaking at the Democratic National Committee's national update and call to action, stressed that this Wisconsin Supreme Court election is vital for Democrats. Calling Wisconsin a 50-versus-50 state, he criticized the current congressional map as gerrymandered and argued that the only path to promptly reviewing and drawing fair districts is through an enlightened Supreme Court, meaning a liberal majority court. Jeffries believes that if liberal candidate Crawford wins, preserving the four-to-three liberal majority, Democrats could push for congressional redistricting through litigation, aiming to flip at least two Republican seats, Rep. Brian Steele's 1st District and Rep. Derek Van Orden's 3rd District, both competitive under current maps. He noted that Democrats need a net gain of three seats to retake the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms, with Wisconsin's two seats central to that plan. Because redistricting directly affects state and congressional seat allocations, this Supreme Court election has become a focal point for both parties, prompting massive resource investments. As of March 30th, the campaigns and their supporters had collectively poured over $81 million into the race, with projections suggesting it could exceed $100 million by election eve. This includes direct candidate fundraising, independent expenditures by groups like Super PACs, and donations from other political entities. Compared to the record-breaking $55 million spent in 2023 when Protasevich won, the 2025 race reflects a more than 50% funding surge, underscoring Wisconsin's role in the national political battlefield. President Trump weighed in, posting, Wisconsin, there is a very important election for state Supreme Court on April 1st, and early voting is now underway. Brad Schimel is running against radical left liberal Susan Crawford, who has repeatedly given child molesters, rapists, women beaters, and domestic abusers light sentences. She is the hand-picked voice of the leftists who are out to destroy your state and our country. And if she wins, the movement to restore our nation will bypass Wisconsin. All voters who believe in common sense should get out to vote early for Brad Schimel. By turning out and voting early, you will be helping to uphold the rule of law, protect our incredible police, secure our beloved Constitution, safeguard our inalienable rights, and preserve liberty and justice for all. So important. Please get out and vote. Make America great again. Records show that over 100,000 people across all 50 states have donated to the campaigns of liberal-backed Susan Crawford and conservative-backed Brad Schimel to help push them across the finish line. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of campaign finance reports found that about 77% of Crawford's donors are from outside Wisconsin, compared to just 15% of Schimel's. However, both drew most of their actual funds from Wisconsinites. Two-thirds of Crawford's money came from in-state residents, while 94% of Schimel's did. Overall, Crawford has raised a record-breaking $26 million, nearly double Schimel's $14 million. In Wisconsin alone, Crawford collected nearly $17 million, surpassing Schimel's nationwide total. Ex-platform posts claim that major Democratic donors have opened their wallets generously, including George Soros, New York, 4,451,000,000 Reid Hoffman, California, 1,446,000,000 J.B. Pritzker, Illinois, 6,515,000,000 Carla Jurvetson, California, 7,131,000,000 on the Trump side. The Wisconsin Republican Party has contributed about $8.8 million, including direct funds and coordinated ad spending. Conservative super PACs, including Elon Musk's America PAC, have donated over $18 million for ads and voter mobilization. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, WMC, invested about $3 million to support business-friendly judicial policies. Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin contributed roughly $2 million, while anti-abortion group Susan B., Anthony Pro-Life America, added about $1 million. PayPal co-founder Ken Howery and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale each donated around $1 million. The Wisconsin Sheriff's Association and other law enforcement groups gave about $500,000. Backing Schimel's law and order stance, Elon Musk has taken a hands-on role. On March 30th, as part of America PAC's efforts ahead of the election, Musk handed out two $1 million checks to Doge supporters in Green Bay, Wisconsin, stating, I should say that the reason for the checks is that it's really just to get attention. It's like we need to get attention, and it's somewhat inevitable when I do these things. It causes the legacy media to kind of lose their mind, and then they'll run it on every news channel. I couldn't pay them to do this if it cost 10 times more. It's to get the kind of coverage that we get. When Musk appeared at the rally wearing a cheesehead hat, a nod to Wisconsin's famed dairy industry, the crowd went wild. He may have been paying tribute to Wisconsinites, especially after shaking up so many interests. Addressing protesters at the event, Musk quipped, It was inevitable that at least a few Soros operatives would be in the audience. At the same rally, a Doge team colleague used real data to reveal a shocking claim. Democrats have issued social security numbers to millions of undocumented immigrants. And then, you'll notice there's a strange trend here. When we saw these numbers, we were like, what is this? In 21, you see 270,000 people, goes all the way to 2.1 million in 24. These are non-citizens that are getting social security numbers. Yeah, this is a mind-blowing chart. Yeah, just, this literally blew us away. While this move may not directly aid the Supreme Court race, it seems to serve as a subtle yet powerful warning about the consequences of choosing Democratic-backed candidates. Notably, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Call, a Democrat, filed a lawsuit on March 28 in Dane County Circuit Court to block Musk's plan to distribute the $1 million checks, arguing it violated Wisconsin Statute 1211, which deems offering anything of value to induce voting or abstaining a felony punishable by up to 3.5 years in prison or a $10,000 fine. Call sought an emergency injunction to halt the Sunday event, calling it a blatant attempt to buy votes in a pivotal election deciding the court's ideological control. The case was initially assigned to Judge Susan Crawford, the candidate herself, who recused herself, transferring it to Columbia County Circuit Court Judge W. Andrew Voigt. On March 28, Voigt declined to hear the emergency injunction request before Sunday, citing insufficient time or jurisdiction for immediate action. Call filed an emergency appeal with the Wisconsin Court of Appeals on March 29, Saturday, which was denied that day, with the court stating Call failed to demonstrate entitlement to the relief this court can provide, effectively allowing Musk's event to proceed. The massive turnout at the rally showcased Musk's influence and signaled strong late momentum for Schimmel. Though betting markets currently favor Crawford, backed by Soros, Pritzker, Spielberg, and Hoffman by a wide margin, who knows what tomorrow might bring? Trump's survival in Butler and eventual election win suggest Schimmel could still pull off an upset. Perhaps a miracle awaits when we wake up tomorrow. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for your watching. We'll see you next time.