President Donald Trump has cast Dane County Judge Susan Crawford as a “liberal lunatic” ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said electing Crawford, the Democrat-backed candidate, to the court “will throw our Country, and the State of Wisconsin, into TOTAL CHAOS” as he urged people to vote for conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel.
Newsweek contacted Crawford and Schimel’s campaigns for comment via email outside regular business hours.
Why It Matters
The April 1 election will determine the ideological makeup of Wisconsin’s highest court, currently controlled 4-3 by liberal justices.
The court is expected to rule on abortion rights, congressional redestricting and voting rules that could affect the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election in the state.
Billionaires, including Trump adviser Elon Musk, have poured money into the contest, which has become a litmus test for the opening months of Trump’s presidency. It is the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, with total spending exceeding $81 million as of March 26, according to a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Polls show the race is shaping up to be a tight one in a state that Trump won by less than 1 percentage point in 2024.
What to Know
Trump wrote in his post that Wisconsin values are “perfectly represented” by Schimel, who he called “strong and, above all, SANE.”
He called Crawford a “DISASTER,” adding that she is “so Far Left that even her own Party, the Radical Democrats, don’t want ANYTHING to do with her.”
Crawford and Schimel are vying to replace outgoing Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who announced last April that she would not seek a fourth 10-year term.
While Wisconsin Supreme Court seats are officially nonpartisan, Democrats and progressives have lined up behind Crawford while Republicans are supporting Schimel, a former state attorney general.
Crawford received an endorsement from former president Barack Obama last week, who wrote in post on X that she is the only candidate “ready to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites.”
Schimel has the backing of Republicans and conservatives, including endorsements from Trump and Musk, who has been deeply involved in the race.
At a rally on Sunday, Musk gave out $1 million checks to two Wisconsin voters and declared them spokespeople for his political group.
It came after the state Supreme Court unanimously declined to hear a case brought by Democratic Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to stop Musk from handing over the checks on the basis that it violates a state law that makes it a felony to give voters anything of value in exchange for them voting.
Crawford and her supporters have hit out against Musk and the influence he is seeking to have on the race. She said during a March 12 debate that Musk “has basically taken over Brad Schimel’s campaign.”
What People Are Saying
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: “Brad Schimel’s Opponent, Susan Crawford, is a DISASTER! She is so Far Left that even her own Party, the Radical Democrats, don’t want ANYTHING to do with her. Wisconsin Values are perfectly represented by Brad Schimel. He is Conservative, Strong and, above all, SANE. His Opponent is a Liberal Lunatic who will throw our Country, and the State of Wisconsin, into TOTAL CHAOS. Vote for Brad Schimel!”
Musk wrote on X on Sunday: “What’s at issue here is control of the US House of Representatives. This Wisconsin Supreme Court race might decide the future of America and Western Civilization! It’s a big deal.”
Obama wrote on X on Tuesday: “If you live in Wisconsin – or have friends or family who do – there’s an important Supreme Court race happening right now. And there’s only one candidate ready to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites: Judge Susan Crawford.”
Democratic strategist Ben Nuckels told Newsweek: “Wisconsin is at the epicenter of the political world right now because the state Supreme Court battle is a national proxy war for the parties and the first major political test of Elon Musk and his bottomless pockets.”
What’s Next
The election will be held on Tuesday. Polls will close at 8 p.m. CT. (9 p.m. ET).
The results could come shortly afterwards. Wisconsin has counted nearly all its votes on election night and the following morning in recent elections, according to The Associated Press. In November’s presidential election, the first results were reported at 9:11 p.m. ET and the state finished counting by noon the following day.
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