Despite heavy investment from conservative donors, voters delivered Crawford a clear 9-point margin.
In a major judicial victory for Democrats, Susan Crawford has won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating conservative former Attorney General Brad Schimel in a high-stakes race.
The election, held less than 100 days into President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, was widely seen as a referendum on his administration. It also drew more than $90 million in spending, including over $25 million alone from Elon Musk and affiliated groups, making it the most-expensive judicial election in American history.
But, despite heavy investment from conservative donors, voters delivered Crawford a clear 9-point margin.
Her victory preserves the court’s 4-3 liberal majority, safeguarding control of one of the most politically consequential state supreme courts in the nation. It also ensures that a court with jurisdiction over hot-button issues—including abortion access, labor rights and redistricting—remain ideologically aligned with Democratic legal positions, heading into a critical election cycle in 2026.
Buoyed by this win, Democrats are optimistic about their prospects in 2026, viewing the election as a sign of growing momentum to flip both legislative chambers in the midterms.Abortion Rights
The election could have major implications for reproductive rights in the state, with the court poised to decide on whether abortion rights should remain legal statewide more than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, Wisconsin abortion providers halted procedures, fearing prosecution under an 1849 law banning abortion except to save a patient’s life. Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul challenged the law, arguing it applies only to feticide. A Dane County circuit court judge then temporarily blocked enforcement of the law, but the state supreme court heard arguments in a case over the ban late last year. A ruling in that case is set to be released before Crawford joins the state supreme court bench.
However, the court is also expected to hear arguments in a separate case—filed by Planned Parenthood—over whether the Wisconsin constitution protects abortion rights. If it does, the 1849 ban could be struck down completely.
Crawford has avoided speaking directly about the 1849 ban. But, throughout her campaign, she released multiple ads slamming Schimel for his stance on abortion.
«Brad Schimel wants to make sure women don’t have the right to make their own health care decisions. If he wins, that right is gone», Crawford said in a recent ad. «I trust women to make their own health care decisions.»
Her position on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court gives liberals the votes to potentially strike down the 176-year-old ban, a move that would preserve abortion access in one of the Midwest’s most closely watched political battlegrounds.Labor Regulations
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is also poised to revisit a Republican-backed law that stripped most public employee unions of collective bargaining rights.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker enacted Act 10 in 2011, which significantly restricted collective bargaining rights for most public-sector employees, limiting negotiations to base wages and capping raises at inflation rates unless approved by referendum.
