Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel lost to Democrat Susan Crawford despite the best efforts of the world’s richest man.
Tesla CEO and DOGE leader Elon Musk and his groups spent over $20 million to help Schimel, 60, the Wisconsin attorney general from 2015 – 2019, shift the balance of the bench, according to reports.
Crawford, on the other hand, received major funding from billionaires George Soros and J.B. Pritzker.
A little more than an hour after the polls closed in the state AP projected that the Democrat would win the contest.
The election outcome ensures that Democrats will keep the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority. That puts Republicans in a terrible bind as redistricting plans in the battleground state could determine the outcome in the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential elections.
Wisconsin Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden predicted that he and fellow Rep. Bryan Steil would lose their seats because of redistricting should Crawford win.
‘We both lose,’ he said. ‘So that’s why everyone’s paying attention to this on a national level’
To muster support for Schimel, Musk even appeared in the state to speak to crowds of supporters of his America PAC petition that offered cash for signers to come out against ‘activist judges.’
The full-scale effort also involved the DOGE leader handing out multiple checks for $1 million to a lucky few who backed Musk’s political efforts.
Elon Musk speaks at a town hall Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin to get out the vote for Brad Schimel days before the election
Susan Crawford beat Brad Schimel in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Tuesday night
A voter hands over their license to a poll worker in a polling location at the Urban Ecology Center during statewide elections on April 1, 2025 in Waukesha, Wisconsin
Schimel also had the backing of President Donald Trump, who offered his endorsement just days before the race.
In total, the contest will go down as the most expensive judicial race in history. Nearly $100 million was spent on the race.
Schimel’s loss proves that Musk’s political king-making abilities are limited after the billionaire threw $300 million of his own money behind Trump’s campaign.
Despite the large funding from the Tesla CEO, the Republican candidate was not able to gain enough support to win a state Trump only won by a small margin in November.
The massive nationwide interest and spending in the race comes because the Wisconsin Supreme Court may soon be tasked with organizing the state’s congressional districts.
A magnet for cash, the race attracted an unusual amount donations as outsiders poured in funds to impact race ahead of the midterms.
‘The judge race will decide whether the Wisconsin districts get redrawn,’ Musk said on Fox News Tuesday afternoon.
The billionaire handed out three $1 million checks to people who signed his political petition ahead of the election
Judge Brad Schimel, the Republican-backed nominee for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, after casting his ballot during the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1, 2025 in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin
Nearly $100 million was spent on the judiciary race
‘They’re kind of trying to gerrymander Wisconsin to remove two Republican seats,’ he explained.
Losing the Wisconsin race, the billionaire explained, will have major consequences in Washington, D.C.
‘Losing this judge race has good chance of causing Republicans to lose control of the House,’ Musk remarked.
‘If you lose control of the House, there will be non stop impeachment hearings. There will be non stop hearings and subpoenas.’
Musk’s many attack ads and cash for petition signings may have backfired.
Crawford’s team highlighted how Musk had infiltrated the race with campaign cash.
‘I never thought as a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, that I’d be going up against the richest man in the world to fight for justice in our state but here we are,’ she said at an event on Monday.
