The head of the Wisconsin Republican Party says the aggressive Democratic push to turn the state Supreme Court race into a referendum on Elon Musk smacks of desperation.
GOP chair Brian Schimming says Democrats are bringing up Mr. Musk every chance they get in the race between Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate, Brad Schimel, the conservative and former Republican attorney general, because the Democratic Party’s brand is tattered and its ground troops are disillusioned.
“They have to divert people’s attention away from kind of the meat and potato issues that you usually see in these court races, which is rule of law, respect for the Constitution, the Supreme Court should not be a second legislature,” Mr. Schimming told The Washington Times. “It’s probably a base motivator for their people.”
“But let’s face it, why do they need a base motivator?” he said. “Their base is depressed right now.”
The April 1 Wisconsin judicial election is the first high-profile contest of the 2025 election cycle. It will determine whether the court remains under liberal control or flips to a conservative majority.
The court is expected to take up cases involving abortion rights, legislative redistricting, labor unions and election laws.
The contest also is shaping up to be an early barometer of the national political climate two months into the second Trump administration, which has prominently featured Mr. Musk.
As the face of the Department of Government Effeciency’s aggressive push to downsize the federal government and a critic of federal judges, Mr. Musk has infuriated Democrats, who are sounding the alarm on his involvement in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Musk-backed America PAC and Building for America’s Future have spent more than $13 million trying to help elect Mr. Schimel. America PAC also scored headlines by offering $100 to Wisconsin voters for signing a petition in opposition to “activist judges.”
“Democrats are betting strongly that Elon will be a net negative in terms of who turns out, but I think that’s untested, and we should be a little hesitant to be too confident about which way it goes,” said Charles Franklin, director the Marquette Law School Poll.
The latest Marquette Law School Poll survey showed that 47% of registered voters in Wisconsin said the Musk-led Department of Government Effeciency’s cost-cutting efforts align with the Trump agenda, compared to 53% who said it is “disruption programs required by law.”
Perhaps more importantly, 97% of Democrats and 56% of Independents said Mr. Musk is disrupting programs.
“So if you’re looking to mobilize the Democratic base, Elon provides a really good villain for you to go after,” Mr. Franklin said.
Mr. Trump carried Wisconsin in the 2024 election, and he has endorsed Mr. Schimel.
Ben Wikler, chair of the state Democratic Party, said national Democrats have aggressively pushed to tie Mr. Schimel to Mr. Musk — betting the public’s rising distaste for the world’s richest man will help energize their troops.
“Well, Elon Musk, who is financing Brad Schimmel’s campaign, has put in $13.2 million,” Mr. Wikler said during an appearance on WISN’s “UPFRONT.” “Across the state, really people are furious at what Musk is doing, what Trump is doing.”
“I think what voters want is someone who is not bought and paid for by far-right MAGA billionaires that are trying to dismantle the constitution and undermine the federal government,” Mr. Wikler said.
Last week, Ms. Crawford started invoking Mr. Musk in her television ads, linking him to Mr. Schimel.
For his part, Mr. Musk warned that if Ms. Crawford wins, it will pave the way for Democrats to draw a new congressional map that will make life harder for Republicans — and his cost-cutting efforts.
“That is a big deal given the congressional majority is so razor thin it could cause the House to switch to Democrat,” Mr. Musk said in an X Spaces discussion over the weekend. “Then we won’t be able to get through the changes the American people want.”
