Posted on 04/02/2025 11:53:57 AM PDT by Morgana
Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge and outspoken abortion advocate, won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, defeating conservative Brad Schimel in a fiercely contested election that shattered spending records.
Crawford’s victory preserves the court’s 4-3 liberal majority, ensuring progressive influence over pivotal cases on abortion, voting rights, and redistricting. With nearly 95% of votes counted by late Tuesday, Crawford led Schimel by approximately 9 points.
A former prosecutor and private attorney, Crawford has long been a lightning rod for controversy due to her ties to Planned Parenthood, where she represented the abortion business in legal battles to expand abortion.
Critics, including CatholicVote branded her a “radical abortion activist,” pointing to her role in challenging a 2011 Wisconsin law requiring abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges.
“Susan Crawford’s record shows she’s not just a judge, but an ideologue who will push an extreme pro-abortion agenda from the bench,” said Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, in a statement following the election.
The pro-life group had urged voters to back Schimel, a former state attorney general and Waukesha County judge, as a defender of life and judicial restraint.
The race, which drew over $80 million in spending—the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history—became a proxy war for national political forces.
President Donald Trump endorsed Schimel on March 28, calling him a “tough-on-crime conservative” who would “protect the will of the people.” Trump’s ally, billionaire Elon Musk, poured more than $20 million into Schimel’s campaign through affiliated groups, including cash incentives for voters who signed petitions opposing “activist judges.”
Crawford, backed by Democrats, former President Barack Obama, and liberal donors like George Soros, framed her win as a rebuke of outside influence.
Schimel, who conceded shortly after 10 p.m., told supporters in Pewaukee, “We gave it everything, but the numbers aren’t there.”
A pro-life advocate, Schimel had defended Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban in campaign statements, arguing it should remain intact unless overturned by referendum or legislative action.
Wisconsin Right to Life warned in March that Crawford’s election could “open the floodgates” to unrestricted abortion, citing her past work with Planned Parenthood.
The court Crawford joins is poised to rule on a challenge to the 1849 law, which bans nearly all abortions except to save the mother’s life. A separate case asks whether the state constitution guarantees a right to kill babies in abortion —a decision that could reshape Wisconsin’s landscape. Abortion dominated the campaign, with Crawford embracing Planned Parenthood’s support while Schimel’s allies accused her of seeking to dismantle pro-life protections.
Turnout soared past 2.4 million, nearly 40% higher than the 2023 Supreme Court race, reflecting the election’s stakes. Democrats hailed the result as a sign of resilience against Trump and Musk’s influence, while conservatives lamented a missed chance to flip the court.
“This could cost Republicans the U.S. House if redistricting goes her way,” said a LifeNews commentary posted late Tuesday.
Crawford will replace retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in August, serving a 10-year term. Her win locks in liberal control until at least 2028, amplifying her potential impact on Wisconsin’s legal and political future.
No she didn't.
Just another RAT stolen election.
Good! The fewer Wisconsins the better. Sorry babies. Nothing personal.
When the Dems make abortion the issue, they win.
Yes, abortion is their Holy Sacrament, doncha know.
Fraud and deceit are the Democrat Socialist stock in trade.
Just clearing out the questionable members of the boards of election in Milwaukee, Dane, and Brown counties (Milwaukee city, Madison, and Green Bay) would go far to insure the practicality of restoring honest elections to Wisconsin as a whole. But as it is, there is little oversight and no active mechanism to counter the suppression of “undesirable” voters or the overrepresentation of “ghost voters” in these precincts. Not saying these board members are crooked or anything, but it is necessary to cut notches in doorframes so they may pass through without first lying each of them on their side and carefully augering them through the door.
Shows what Wisconsins are worth.
Let’s do some peaceful protesting. Tip some cows, cut some cheese, spill some milk.
How does a liberal Court judge get 100,000 more votes than the voter ID bill??
I have to laugh knowing Wisconsin voted for Voter ID and a liberal judge.
Nothing personal, it’s just business, Big business.
This is a loss and the jokes don’t cut it. We need to get the vote out and here we did not. We have two years lets not make that all we have.
Nope! Stupid republicans stayed on their couches eating potato chips.
Covidandcoffee :
was a wake-up call for Republicans: the Democrats are only playing dead. They are not, in fact, leaderless.
The silver lining was that it exposed the Dems’ real leaders and that Democrats have only been playing dead. This was no grassroots election. It was a polished, professional campaign owned and operated by oligarchs. According to WaPo —pay attention— among others, Ms. Crawford got $1.5 million from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D), $1 million from George Soros, $250,000 from LinkedIn co-founder and lefty lunatic Reid Hoffman, and millions more from shady dark-money PACs.
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