SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
wisconsin
World's Richest Man Is the Biggest Loser in Wisconsin
We have women and workers to thank for ensuring far-right Elon Musk was soundly defeated.
Apr 02, 2025
The richest person in the world couldn’t buy the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, which was won by liberal Susan Crawford, who defeated Elon Musk’s favored candidate and Trump toadie, Brad Schimel. She will serve a ten-year term, cementing liberal dominance for some time. Vested interests poured $100 million into the race, a record for a state Supreme Court contest. This orgy of big money in politics was unleashed in large part by John Roberts’s wretched Citizens United ruling in 2010, which solidified America’s march to (further) plutocracy.
This election may signal the beginnings of a backlash against the Trump regime. Since his inauguration, Trump has acted more lawlessly than any president in history, even Tricky Dick Nixon, willfully thwarting the legislative intention of Congress in funding government agencies to do jobs Congress wanted them to do. Trump has undermined the basic parliamentary principle that the people’s elected representatives have the power of the purse, a principle that goes back to Britain hundreds of years ago.
At the same time, the Trump regime has exalted toxic masculinity and signaled its intent to liquidate workers’ unions. The problem for Trump is that a majority of Americans are women or workers or both.
Moreover, Trump’s surrender of such fiscal decisions to Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency has resulted in mass firings of government personnel and the gutting of America’s health services, scientific research and threats to the solvency of the country’s preeminent research universities. The attack on Social Security — removing the ability of recipients to do business by phone, the firing of 7,000 Social Security employees (14% of the workforce), the breaking of the agency’s website — has alarmed the elderly nationwide.
American democracy is stronger today because voters in one Midwest state stood up to the richest man in the world.
Trump won Wisconsin last fall by less than a percentage point, with a margin of only 29,000 votes. Trump’s full court press against the institutions Americans depend on has made a bad impression. In early March, Savannah Kuchar explained in USA Today, a Marquette poll found that 51% of the voters in Wisconsin viewed Trump’s initial weeks in office negatively. He had frittered away his slight advantage in the state. Of course, Republicans supported him and Democrats despised him. But the key is the independents, and of those 60% disapproved of the initial Trump record and only 39% approved.
As for Elon Musk, the same poll found that 53% of Wisconsin voters viewed him negatively, and only 41% saw Musk positively. Someone with such high negatives and so few supporters in a relatively conservative “purple” state likely made a mistake by taking a high profile, pouring $20 million into the Supreme Court race, and offering a million dollars to select voters to vote for the conservative candidate.
Elon may have defeated himself, just as Trump did.
Of course, there were other issues. Schimel as attorney general of Wisconsin a decade ago attempted to defend a restrictive abortion law that Federal judge William Conley in Madison struck down as unconstitutional in 2015. More recently, Republicans have argued that a nineteenth-century law banning abortion came back into effect once the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. A liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court is likely to find that the freedoms enshrined in the state constitution take precedence over Victorian era legislation.
Abortion rights activists came out to vote in large numbers in an off-year election of a sort that often sees low turnout in the state. Abortion rights helped drive the blue wave of 2018 and the return of the Democrats to the White House in 2021.
Union issues also brought out workers. The far right wing Gov. Scott Walker had in 2011 gutted teachers’ unions, which resulted in a precipitous fall in pay and in high turnover, which disadvantages schoolchildren. Late last fall a state judge found the 2011 law to violate the equal protection clause of the constitution, since Walter had actually favored police and fireman unions that supported him politically but had placed disabilities on teachers’ unions. Republican attempts to overturn this ruling by taking it to the Supreme Court have now been dealt a substantial blow.
Finally, Wisconsin’s congressional delegation is skewed 6 to 2 for Republicans, even though the two parties are neck and neck in the state. The current districts for federal elections disadvantage Democrats concentrated in Madison and Milwaukee. Districts for the state legislature, however, were made fairer in 2022 by legislation.
In 2020, as well, the Trump campaign demanded that 200,000 votes in the presidential contest be thrown out in Wisconsin. Any further such scurrilous demands will clearly be rebuffed in the state.
American democracy is stronger today because voters in one Midwest state stood up to the richest man in the world. The people of Wisconsin and of the United States have more rights today because of Wisconsin voters. Trump’s catastrophic policies, which threaten the health of the Republic both literally and figuratively, may produce not so much a blue wave as a blue tsunami as people realize that they are the ox to be gored.
Keep ReadingShow Less
'This Guy Is Toxic': Susan Crawford Defeats World's Richest Man Elon Musk in Wisconsin
"As a result of your strong grassroots organizing, you have defeated the wealthiest person on earth," said Sen. Bernie Sanders to the state's voters after the Supreme Court race was called. "You have set an example for the rest of the country."
Apr 01, 2025
The battle over a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court was settled decisively on Tuesday night as the Democratic favorite Susan Crawford dispatched with far-right favorite Brad Schimel, a candidate backed by tens of millions of dollars in outside money and corporate interests, including an estimated $20 million or more from President Donald Trump sycophant and world's wealthiest individual Elon Musk.
As of this writing, Crawford, a Dane County Judge, was enjoying "an unexpectedly easy" win with 55.5% of the vote compared to the 44.5% received by Schimel, the state's former Republican attorney general. Numerous decision desks called the race in her favor shortly after polls closed, and the returns were clear.
"Thank you," Crawford said in a victory speech from the city of Madison shortly after 9:30 pm local time. "Alright, Wisconsin—we did it!"
Crawford said she had just received a concession phone call from Schimel—describing him as "gracious" in defeat—as she thanked the people of Wisconsin for delivering a hard-fought victory in what has been documented as the "most expensive judicial race ever" in U.S. history.
"Tonight, the grassroots have risen up to defeat Musk and the MAGA authoritarianism he's funding."
"Thank you for trusting me to serve you on the Wisconsin Supreme Court," she told the audience of supporters and national television cameras. "I'm so grateful to have earned the trust and support of voters across this great state." She explained that she got into this race—like how she had spent her life—"to do what's right, to protect the rights and fundamental freedoms of all Wisconites."
Crediting her career success to the values learned in the small Wisconsin town of Chippewa Falls—"where people watched out for each other" and people respected the ability to "tell right from wrong"—Crawford said that growing up she never imagined she would ultimately "be taking on the richest man in the world" in a political fight that has gained national attention and was widely seen as a political referendum on the first two months of the Trump administration's policies.
The battle, she said, was "over justice in Wisconsin—and we won!"
Musk has become a key factor in the race over recent weeks by spending millions of his own money backing Schimel. One gimmick he used over the recent weekend was handing out $1 million checks to people, according to critics, to purchase their support and vote.
Progressive lawmakers were among those chiming in with applause Tuesday night.
"Elon Musk spent MILLIONS to defeat Susan Crawford in Wisconsin—and it was an epic fail," declared Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) after announcing her victory. "Voters saw through his schemes, and our country is better off for it. Thank you, Wisconsinites."
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution, was among those celebrating Crawford's win as an apparent rebuke to Musk and President Trump.
"Despite pouring over $20 million into this race—including handing out million-dollar checks to voters—the world's wealthiest man has failed to secure a conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court," said Geevarghese. "Crawford's victory is a decisive win for protecting abortion access and workers' rights in Wisconsin. It also serves as a crucial safeguard against Donald Trump's ongoing attempts to subvert American democracy and erode judicial independence."
While the resounding defeat of Schimel by voters will be "viewed as a critical referendum on Trump and Musk’s dangerous, lawless agenda," he added, the amount of money spent during the race "also stands as a stark warning about the deep corruption within our broken campaign finance system. With spending exceeding $100 million, this election has become the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history, with billionaire donations flooding in on both sides."
"Tonight, the grassroots have risen up to defeat Musk and the MAGA authoritarianism he's funding," Geevarghese said. "But the fight to eliminate dark money from our political system is far from over. Continued inaction poses an urgent, looming threat to our democracy and way of life."
American Bridge, a research and rapid response group with close ties to the Democratic Party, feasted on Schimel's loss by deriding the GOP favorite as the "biggest loser in Wisconsin history."
"Wisconsinites have spoken, and together their votes decided that Wisconsin needs leaders who will protect our freedoms while rejecting the politics of fear and division."
Schimel, said the group's spokesperson Monica Venzke, "clearly can’t take a hint, but hopefully this time it sticks—Wisconsin wants nothing to do with him. Not even his out-of-state billionaire supporter could buy him this one. Imagine spending over $18 million and still losing."
According to Venzke, the defeat of Schimel despite the tens of millions spent by corporate forces "is just a preview of how voters are rejecting Trump's agenda of folding to billionaires. Republicans around the country have a choice: stand up to Trump, or lose."
Lucy Ripp, communications director for Better Wisconsin Together, which represents progressives' concerns in the state, also credited the work of the state's grassroots, which she suggested was a model for people nationwide.
"Wisconsinites have spoken, and together their votes decided that Wisconsin needs leaders who will protect our freedoms while rejecting the politics of fear and division," said Ripp. "Wisconsin voters chose common sense, progress, and freedom over a radical, right-wing partisan agenda that thrives on dividing our communities and leaving working families behind in service of billionaires and special interests."
"By maintaining a strong progressive majority, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will continue as a first line of defense in protecting Wisconsinites' constitutional rights and freedoms," added Ripp, "and a vital check on the Trump and Musk agenda amid the barrage of threats to our rights and livelihoods coming down from the White House."
As of this writing, neither Trump nor Musk had acknowledged Crawford's victory over Schimel on their main social media channels—though each celebrated the approval of a controversial and "regressive" voter I.D. law in the state. To some critics, their twin silence on the Supreme Court race felt like quite a loud statement.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Voters in Florida and Wisconsin Have a Chance Today to Stick It to Trump and Musk
A victory by Josh Weil in Florida and/or Judge Crawford in Wisconsin could put wind in the sails of the Trump resistance.
Apr 01, 2025
If you live in Wisconsin or in the 6th congressional district of Florida, you’ll have a chance to do something today the rest of us only dream about doing—tell President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to go to hell.
In Florida’s 6th, House Republicans had expected an easy win to replace Rep. Michael Waltz, who became Trump’s national security adviser (but may not be much longer, given his role in Signalgate). Trump won the district by 30 percentage points last November.
But Democratic candidate Josh Weil has a real chance of winning there. If he does, the Republicans’ margin in the House shrinks to just two.
If there was ever a symbol of why we need to get big money out of politics, reform campaign financing, stop conflicts of interest, and tax great wealth, Musk is it.
In Wisconsin, the race is for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Democrat Judge Susan Crawford is clearly more qualified and more, well, judge-like than her opponent Brad Shimel, but their temperaments and characters are not the largest issues.
The winner in Wisconsin could well determine voting districts and, hence, the likelihood that the state provides more Democratic or Republican representatives in the 2026 midterms and swings Republican or Democrat in the 2028 presidential race.
Musk is a big factor. He’s already sunk a small fortune into backing the Republican candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court—along with the same kind of million-dollar giveaway stunt he used in the presidential race.
Last night, Musk gave out two $1 million checks. One of the two recipients? The head of the Wisconsin College Republicans.
A new video released by Musk’s America PAC is further evidence that Musk’s massive cash giveaways are illegal vote buying. In the clip, a Wisconsin woman named Ekaterina Deistler, who won a $1 million prize, explicitly links her financial windfall to following Musk’s instructions—including voting.
The richest man in the world has no compunctions about throwing his wealth behind the worst possible candidates in America—as when he plunked down over a quarter trillion dollars to get Trump elected.
He has also used—or threatened to use—his wealth to back anyone who runs in a primary election against any Republican member of Congress who doesn’t totally support Trump. It’s an extortion racket that is not only helping to keep congressional Republicans silent and pliable, but has no legitimate place in our democracy.
If there was ever a symbol of why we need to get big money out of politics, reform campaign financing, stop conflicts of interest, and tax great wealth, Musk is it.
Not incidentally (speaking of conflicts of interest) Musk’s auto company, Tesla, has a case against Wisconsin pending in the state’s courts.
Polls opened in Wisconsin at 7:00 am CT and will close at 8:00 pm CT. If the margin of victory is large, the race could be called early. If close, it could come down to absentee ballots in Milwaukee, which are likely heavily Democratic and might not be fully counted until midnight or later.
The early vote appears more favorable to Judge Crawford than it was to Harris in 2024—which is good news for Crawford, although the GOP early vote has shot up relative to previous Wisconsin Supreme Court races.
One final and more general thought about these two elections today.
They’re extraordinary expensive and prominent. That’s because they’re both viewed as potential harbingers of what’s in store for Republicans or Democrats in future elections, both special elections and the 2026 midterms.
No one knows which direction the political winds are blowing and how hard, because America has never been in the place it’s in right now—with a tyrannical president aided by the richest person in the world.
Democrats have had reason to crow recently about flipping Republican-held state legislative seats in recent special elections in Iowa and Pennsylvania. On Saturday, voters in Louisiana rejected four proposed constitutional amendments backed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry that would have overhauled parts of the state’s tax codes and toughened penalties for juvenile offenders.
A victory by Josh Weil in Florida and/or Judge Crawford in Wisconsin could put wind in the sails of the Trump resistance. Let’s all hope that Floridians in the 6th district and the good people of Wisconsin do what the nation needs them to do.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular