Elon Musk and the Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

Something about a state supreme court race usually doesn’t make national headlines — unless a billionaire shows up with a megaphone and a checkbook. In April 2025, Elon Musk did exactly that, handing out two $2 million checks at a Green Bay rally and pouring millions into the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, where liberal-backed Susan Crawford defeated conservative Brad Schimel by about 10 percentage points (Wikipedia), preserving a 4-3 liberal majority on the court.

Election date: April 2025 ·
Winner: Susan Crawford (liberal) ·
Runner-up: Brad Schimel (conservative) ·
Total spending: Record-breaking (excess of $30 million) ·
Musk gave: Two $2 million checks (reported) ·
Court majority after win: Liberal 4-3

The table below distills the race’s essential details into a single view.

Who won the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election?

What was the margin of victory?

• Crawford received 1,301,137 votes (55.02%), according to Wikipedia.
• Schimel received 1,062,330 votes (44.92%) (Wikipedia).
• Total votes cast: 2,364,887, with 1,420 write-ins (Wikipedia).

The implication: Crawford’s margin of roughly 10 points was decisive enough to prevent a recount or legal challenge, but tight enough to show the state remains deeply divided.

When was the result projected?

Most news outlets called the race for Crawford on the evening of April 2, 2025, a day after polls closed. Wisconsin’s election-night results are unofficial and not certified on election night, per MyVote Wisconsin, so the projection relied on county-level returns.

• No statewide system for reporting unofficial results exists in Wisconsin (MyVote Wisconsin).

What this means: the delay was expected and did not indicate any irregularities.

How did Elon Musk influence the Wisconsin Supreme Court race?

What events did Musk hold?

On March 30, 2025, Musk held a rally in Green Bay where he handed out two $2 million checks to voters, according to a report by WGN-TV. He also campaigned explicitly for Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate.

• Musk’s appearance drew national media attention and thousands of attendees (WGN-TV).

How much money did Musk spend?

According to the same WGN-TV report, Musk spent nearly $20 million in the race, making him the largest single donor. Combined with contributions from other billionaires, the race became the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.

• Musk’s spending exceeded that of all other outside groups combined (WGN-TV).

The trade-off: Musk’s heavy investment yielded no electoral win, raising questions about the influence of big money in nonpartisan judicial contests.

What was the total spending on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election?

Who else contributed to the spending?

• Total spending exceeded $30 million, a record for a state supreme court race (WGN-TV).
• Billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros were the biggest contributors, pushing the race to unprecedented levels (Bolts).
• The 2025 race followed a 2024 cycle where more than $100 million was spent nationwide on state supreme court contests (Bolts).

How does this compare to previous races?

• The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was already the most expensive in state history at the time (Ballotpedia).
• The 2025 race shattered that record by at least threefold.

The pattern: each cycle escalates, with billionaires increasingly treating judicial elections as high-leverage political investments.

Who are the candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2025?

What are their judicial philosophies?

• Susan Crawford is a circuit court judge with a reputation for moderate-to-liberal rulings. She was backed by Democrats and liberal groups.
• Brad Schimel is a former Wisconsin attorney general and a conservative judge, endorsed by Republicans and groups like the Wisconsin Republican Party.

The catch: the election was officially nonpartisan, even though both candidates were openly aligned with political parties (APIAVote).

Which major endorsements did they receive?

• Crawford was endorsed by former President Barack Obama and the state’s Democratic Party.
• Schimel was endorsed by Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Why this matters: national figures poured in, making a local judicial race a proxy battle for national political agendas.

What does the Wisconsin Supreme Court election mean for the court’s balance?

What was the ideological split before the election?

• Before the election, the court had a 4-3 liberal majority that was at risk if Schimel won (Wikipedia).
• Susan Crawford’s win preserved that majority and likely secured a liberal tilt until at least August 2028 (Wikipedia).

What cases might be affected?

• The court will likely hear major cases on redistricting, abortion access, and workers’ protections in the next term (APIAVote).
• With a liberal majority, plaintiffs challenging legislative maps and abortion bans have a more favorable venue.

What this means: Wisconsin becomes a key battleground state where judicial decisions could shape the 2026 and 2028 elections.

“Liberal Susan Crawford wins court seat in setback for Elon Musk” — BBC News

“Billionaires Musk and Soros push Wisconsin Supreme Court race to record spending” — Associated Press

“We cannot have judges who are bought and paid for by billionaires” — PBS Wisconsin report on Musk’s rally

For voters in Wisconsin, the implication is clear: billionaires will continue to shape judicial races unless new limits on campaign spending are enacted. The 2025 election proved that money alone cannot guarantee victory, but it also showed that the cost of a seat on the state’s highest court is no longer measured in votes, but in millions.