Wisconsin Supreme Court race, district map possibly on the line

MILWAUKEE - The U.S. House of Representatives' top Democrat said the Wisconsin Supreme Court race could impact the balance of power in Washington.

High-profile endorsements

What they're saying:

Right now, Wisconsin voters are deciding whether liberals or conservatives will control the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It's officially a non-partisan race, but former President Barack Obama and other Democrats have backed Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.

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"We have a strong Democratic candidate. Whoever wins is going to determine who has the majority in the Wisconsin Supreme Court," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York). "Why is that important? Because there are gerrymandered congressional lines right now in Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s a 50/50 state, as I mentioned, but there are six Republicans and only two Democrats out of an eight-person delegation."

Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have backed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in the race. 

"In the great state of Wisconsin, a radical left Democrat, one who is insistent on bringing hardened criminals, that we removed to far away places, back into our country, allowing men into women’s sports, open borders, and more, is running against a strong, common sense Republican," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Just call him Brad, for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It’s a really big and important race, and could have much to do with the future of our country. Get out and vote, now, for the Republican candidate — Brad!!!"

Legislative districts

The backstory:

In 2023, liberals won control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The court then ruled against Republican-drawn legislative district maps and approved maps from Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat.

Republicans now have a smaller majority in the Wisconsin Senate and Wisconsin Assembly. In 2024, Republicans controlled about 65%. Now, under new maps, that number has dropped to about 55%.

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Dig deeper:

Jeffries, the top House Democrat, on Monday said maybe the Wisconsin Supreme Court could revisit another map for Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. Currently, Republicans hold six of the state's eight congressional seats. 

"Because the lines are broken. And as soon as possible, we need to be able to revisit that and have fair lines. The only way for that to be even a significant possibility is if you have an enlightened Supreme Court. That’s an incredibly important race," said Jeffries.

What they're saying:

"Where they fail at the ballot box, when it’s a legislative race, they can’t get their policies through, so now their focus is: If you get the courts, now you can get the laws you want made by the courts. And that’s wrong," Schimel said.

A spokesperson for Crawford reacted with almost the same words the candidate told FOX6 News over the weekend.

"I’ve never expressed any opinion, publicly or privately about the maps and on the court," Crawford said. "I would make any decisions about that issue, or any other issue based on what the law requires."

Earlier this year, Crawford attended an event billed in an email as a "chance to put two more House seats in play." Crawford said she didn’t know about that wording ahead of time, and didn’t think the email message was appropriate.

At the beginning of the year, FOX6 News questioned Crawford about Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who during her 2023 campaign said the legislative maps were "rigged."

Calvi: "Do you think she went a little too far in that campaign?"
Crawford: "Not based on what I saw. I think her style is a little bit different from mine and her experience was different from mine. When she was talking about the maps, I think she was making an observation about the facts of the legislative maps and not saying how she would decide any future case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Record spending

By the numbers:

With the stakes so high, the race has shattered the spending record for state supreme court races nationwide.

The Brennan Center now says groups and candidates have spent $81 million. Wisconsin held the previous record of $56 million in the 2023 race that Protasiewicz won. Before that, Illinois held the record for a 2004 race that topped $15 million.

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