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Billionaire megadonors are opening their wallets to influence the high-stakes race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The winner of the April 1 election between Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel will determine whether the court in battleground Wisconsin will remain under liberal control or flip to a conservative majority.
The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which was also for ideological control of the court, was the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history. This year’s race is shaping up to be even more expensive and has already garnered national attention from multibillionaire Elon Musk, who’s also a loyalist of President Donald Trump.
The race is nonpartisan in name only, as the most recent campaign finance reports filed this week show. Some of the country’s most deep-pocketed political megadonors are getting involved.
Schimel has raised $5.1 million since he entered the race in December 2023, including the nearly $1.7 million from the Republican Party. Crawford has raised more than $7.7 million since she got into the race in June, including $3 million from the state Democratic Party.
The high court has been at the center of some of the battleground state’s largest battles in recent years.