Early voting in Wisconsin’s contentious state Supreme Court election began on March 18, thrusting the two candidates and their billionaire backers into the spotlight.
The contest is between Democrat-preferred Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford and the Republican-backed Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, a former attorney general.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court gained its first liberal majority in 15 years in 2023. Since then, the court has tossed Republican-drawn legislative maps and overturned a ruling that effectively banned absentee-ballot drop boxes.
The April 1 election will decide whether the court continues its leftward lean or flips back to a conservative majority, and donations from billionaires Elon Musk, George Soros, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker have poured in to influence the race….