Voters headed to the polling station on Tuesday at Wisconsin for a heat button race that could offer a barometer about how Americans feel at this time in the second term of President Donald Trump.
Waukesha Regency Judge supported by the Republic of Brad Schimel and Dane Regency Judge supported by Democrats, Susan Crawford, is a candidate in the Tuesday State Supreme Court race, which technically non-partisan-but has become the center of political storms, as well as the target of millions of people spent by groups related to groups of technology and the main advisors of the main advisors.
The election will determine which candidate, competing to replace the retired judge Ann Walsh Bradley, who will help determine the ideological tendency of the court, which is currently leaning on liberal.
“This is playing out like a presidential-style election. You turn on your TV, any local broadcast station here is the state of wisconsin, you are inundated with political-type ads for what is technically a non-partisan judicial race Becoming a true litmus test for the first 100 days of the trump administration, “Matt Smith, Political Director at Milwaukee’s ABC Affiliate Wisn-TV, Toll ABC News Live Anchor Diane Macedo last week.
The winner of this race will join the bench because the court has the potential to wrestle with the main voter problems such as abortion and redistricting access. For example, there is a Wisconsin Supreme Court case regarding if the Wisconsin Constitution protects the right to abortion, which may be considered by the court after justice is sitting.
This race can also see preview that voters in the state of the battlefield feel that a few months in the second term of Trump – mainly because of the Musk and his work with the federal government through the government efficiency department is the main problem considering the investment of its group in the race.
Elon Musk arrived for the City Hall wearing a Cheesehead hat at the Ki Convention Center on March 30, 2025 at Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Scott Olson/Getty Image
Musk has indicated that he was interested in the race because of the possibility of a court to handle cases – which could affect the balance of power in the US home if the decision caused the Congress map to be re -drawn.
“That is why it is very significant, and any party that controls the house, up to a significant level, controls the country which then directs the road of western civilization,” Musk said at the famous city hall on Sunday at Green Bay.
Musk has implied “the future of civilization” at stake with a race. On Sunday, the technology billionaire also controversially giving two $ 1 million checks to the audience at a general meeting in his latest efforts to support Schimel.
Schimel, a candidate supported by the Republican party, is a former Attorney General for State and Judges of the Regional Court in Waukesha Regency. He has received nearly $ 20 million in support (such as spending on TV advertising) on Monday from groups related to Musk, per calculation by the Brennan Justice Center.
Schimel has also received support from Trump, Musk, Donald Trump, Jr., and other major conservative figures.
Schimel has welcomed conservative support, but said at a general meeting last week that he would treat any case fairly, including if it was a case brought by Trump.
However, Crawford and his allies accuse him of not treating cases involving Trump or Musk fairly, and he has made Musk the main target of his campaign.
Candidate of the Supreme Court Wisconsin Brad Schimel, Center, spoke with supporters as former Governor Scott Walker, left, Watches, March 31, 2025, in Madison, Wis.
Scott Bauer/AP
Schimel, asked on Thursday by ABC Affiliate Wisn To share the closing argument ahead of the last days in the race, said, “My closing argument is that people need to take this race seriously. So much is at stake. We must restore objectivity to this court now … we must return the court in the right role where it does not make law. This does not go through political agenda. This applies to the law.”
Crawford, supported by Democrats, is a judge of the Dane District Circuit Court and a former private lawyer. At the points, he represented groups in harmony with Democrats such as Planned Parenthood, an organization that supports abortion access.
Large liberal donors such as Governor Illinois JB Pritzker and Democratic Donor George Soros have given money to the Democratic Party Wisconsin, and the State Party has contributed $ 2 million to Crawford. The National Democratic Party also invests in the race.
Crawford tell wisn That the closing argument is about an impartial court: “This is about ensuring that we have a just and unbelievable Supreme Court in interpreting our law to protect Wisconsin rights.
Regional Court Judge Dane Susan Crawford, a candidate for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, spoke during the campaign stop, March 29, 2025, in Milwaukee.
Scott Olson/Getty Image
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, on Monday, more than $ 90 million has been spent in the race – Making it the most expensive judicial election in the history of the country. That number includes more than $ 49 million spent by Schimel or the group that supports him, and more than $ 40 million spent by Crawford or the group that supports it.
The non -profit said that the previous note for expenditure in the State Supreme Court race was in the selection of the Supreme Court 2023 Wisconsin, when $ 56 million was spent.
Voters have noticed. A wisconsinite who chose earlier told Wisn, “There is a lot of money from outside coming in, in our state. And I want to make sure that my voice is represented and not someone else.”
On Monday, around 644,000 people in Wisconsin had chosen earlier or by post, according to the Wisconsin Election Commission.
Regional Court Judge Dane Susan Crawford, a candidate for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, spoke to supporters during the campaign stopped at the Democratic Party of the Waukesha Regency, March 29, 2025, in Waukesha, Wis. Judge Circuit Brad Schimel, a candidate for the Wisconsin High Court, spoke to supporters during the campaign.
Scott Olson/Getty Image
Voters at Wisconsin will also vote on the voting initiative whether to capture photo IDs to vote into the state constitution. Voter ID has been required by state law; Wearing it into the state constitution will not set new requirements, but it is likely to make it more difficult to cancel the law.
Democratic groups and voting rights organizations have criticized voting initiatives as voters who have the potential to revoke the right to vote. Supporters of the initiative believe that they will strengthen the security of elections in Wisconsin and strengthen existing requirements.
Marquette University Law School of Law Taken at the end of February Also found that the majority of voters registered at Wisconsin supported photo IDs for voting, and separately, the majority of voters registered at Wisconsin said they would support the voting initiative.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Ben Siegel, Will Stakinin, Averi Harper, Hannah Demissie and Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.