Susan Crawford, a Dane County circuit judge, won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, maintaining the narrow liberal majority on the battleground state’s highest court despite opposition from Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. The technically nonpartisan race drew national attention and became the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history. Democrats and progressive groups made Musk their primary target, criticizing him for trying to influence the election and for his efforts to cut federal jobs through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Crawford’s victory means that liberals will maintain a 4-3 advantage on the court, which could decide cases on abortion rights, unions, collective bargaining rights, and congressional maps and redistricting. Despite Musk’s significant financial contributions to the opposing candidate, Democratic-aligned groups outspent him, framing him as trying to buy the election for his preferred candidate.
The race did not focus heavily on Trump, with both sides instead painting each other as soft on crime. Additionally, reproductive rights were a central theme in campaign messaging due to existing cases on abortion before the court. The court could also rule on other important cases, such as one challenging the state’s congressional maps that favor Republicans.
The victory for Crawford maintains the liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, setting the stage for future court decisions on key issues facing the state. In addition, Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to enshrine the existing voter ID law into the state constitution, which conservatives hoped would help boost voter turnout in future elections.
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