CNN
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Campaign spending has smashed records in Wisconsin’s high-stakes Supreme Court race, as megadonors from both parties are directing millions to the closely watched election that’s set to decide ideological control of the battleground state’s high court. And tech billionaire Elon Musk is flexing his growing political influence after his key supporting role in President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Musk announced Friday that he would travel to Wisconsin for an event on Sunday naming the winners of million-dollar giveaways orchestrated by his super PAC, reprising a controversial tactic he used in last year’s election. His personal contributions and spending by groups that he’s funded in the past total more than $20 million for the Tuesday, April 1 race, so far.
Musk’s commitment to the Wisconsin contest amounts to a demonstration of the financial firepower he can bring to bear on campaigns as the 2026 midterms approach next fall. The Department of Government Efficiency leader has already started signaling his favor through smaller direct contributions to GOP lawmakers as he and Trump cement their grip on the party.
Meanwhile, prominent Democratic megadonors have also rallied to the contest. The veteran liberal financier George Soros has contributed $2 million to the state Democratic Party, while the billionaire governor of neighboring Illinois, JB Pritzker, has given an additional $1.5 million.
“What’s happening in Wisconsin is unlike anything that has happened in any other state,” said Douglas Keith, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice’s Judiciary Program. “This race has seen as much money as a US Senate race that could decide the majority of the Senate.”
Other PACs and dark money groups that face limited disclosure requirements have also flooded the contest with funds from both sides. And the surge of outside interest has caused spending on the race to skyrocket past the previous national record for a judicial election, $51 million, held by another Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2023.
Advertisers from both sides in the officially nonpartisan contest have already combined to spend more than $70 million on the 2025 race, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact. Supporters of the liberal candidate, Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford, have outspent supporters of the conservative candidate, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, by about $40 million to $33 million. (Note: The numbers in this story are current as of 12 p.m. ET on March 28.)
Millions more are being spent on get-out-the-vote efforts, like the $1 million giveaways from Musk’s super PAC, as both parties both look to the upcoming race as a key measure of political sentiment in one of the top battleground states — just over two months into the second Trump administration.
Crawford’s campaign on Monday announced record-breaking totals, saying she had raised more than $17 million over the previous month and a half — nearly $10 million more than Schimel, who raised $7.3 million over the same stretch. Crawford also announced that she’d brought in over $24 million since launching her campaign last year, roughly double Schimel’s total haul.
Outside money has played a central role in the Wisconsin court race, funding field operations and campaign ads and flowing directly to the state parties. And no donor has loomed larger than Musk.
According to new filings this week from the Wisconsin Republican Party, Musk gave $2 million to the state party on March 20, in addition to a $1 million contribution that he made on February 19, for a total of $3 million that the tech billionaire gave directly to the Wisconsin GOP. Crucially, those funds can be transferred to Schimel’s campaign.
Meanwhile, the super PAC that Musk helped form to support Trump in 2024, America PAC, has reported more than $12 million in spending on a mix of get-out-the-vote efforts including digital media, texting, phone banking, direct mail and other field operations.
That total is likely to rise with the group resurrecting a tactic from last year, offering $1 million giveaways in the final week of the race to signers of a petition aimed at collecting voter data and boosting turnout. Those who signed were also promised $100 and an additional $100 for each additional signer they referred. Musk said that he would award two winners during his appearance at an event in Wisconsin on Sunday.
“On Sunday night, I will give a talk in Wisconsin,” the tech billionaire wrote on X, the social media platform that he owns. “I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition.
Musk deleted an earlier version of the post, in which he had written that he would give the checks “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote” — reflecting the delicate triangulation of the group’s boundary-pushing campaign tactics.
In another sign of the tension over Musk’s campaigning, Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul announced on Friday that he planned to take legal action against Musk’s PAC and seek a court order halting the cash giveaways.
“The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that elections in Wisconsin are safe, secure, free, and fair. We are aware of the offer recently posted by Elon Musk to award a million dollars to two people at an event in Wisconsin this weekend. Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening,” Kaul said in a statement.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission also released a statement on Friday in which it acknowledged the unprecedented wave of campaign activity. “While the Wisconsin Elections Commission understands that voters may have concerns about political messaging, it is important to note that many of these concerns do not allege a violation of Wisconsin Election law, and therefore, the WEC is unable to pursue the matter,” the commission wrote, noting it “understands that voters may have concerns about political texts, offers, and messaging they are receiving.”
Another group linked to Musk, Building America’s Future, has spent more than $7 million on waves of sharp attack ads slamming Crawford and delivering a stark tough-on-crime pitch to voters.
Musk isn’t the only megadonor training their millions on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
According to the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s filing this week, Soros gave $1 million to the party in a pair of installments on February 19 and March 13, bringing his total contributions for the race up to $2 million. And Pritzker continued his giving to the state party as the court race ramped up, donating $1 million on March 14 to bring his total contributions up to $1.5 million.
The influx of outside money has been a point of contention, and the candidates sparred over the issue at a debate earlier this month.
“Let’s talk about Elon Musk, talk about somebody who’s been dangerous, who’s firing air traffic controllers, who’s firing the people who are trying to figure out the avian flu issue that is causing the cost of eggs to increase so rapidly in Wisconsin,” Crawford said at one point. “He has now spent over $10 million on my opponent’s race. He has basically taken over Brad Schimel’s campaign.”
“They’ve made this decision on their own to support my campaign, and they’ve decided what their messaging looks like without any assistance from me,” said Schimel, who criticized his opponent for her support from Soros, whom he labeled “a dangerous person to have an endorsement from.”
And Wisconsin’s Republican US Sen. Ron Johnson summarized the state of play in an online forum with Musk last weekend. “You know, if we do win it again, we have to thank Elon for all the support he’s given this race,” Johnson remarked.
A recent ad from Crawford’s campaign acknowledged the advertising blitz as megadonors from both sides bear down on the contest. “There’s been a lot of talk about this Supreme Court race. But here’s what’s really at stake. Brad Schimel wants to make sure women don’t have the right to make their own health care decisions. If he wins, that right is gone,” Crawford says in the ad.
Abortion rights have been a point of emphasis in pro-Crawford advertising as her supporters and national Democrats look to continue leveraging voter discontent with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. The issue has become even more prominent with the state court set to rule on a law from 1849 banning abortion.
One of Crawford’s most-run ads over the past month features a young woman sharing her fears about Schimel’s stance on abortion rights. “The fact that Brad Schimmel supports the 1849 law terrifies me,” says the woman featured in the ad.
And another group tied to a prominent megadonor, Everytown for Gun Safety — founded by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg — launched its first TV ad of the race this month, echoing the emphasis on abortion rights. “There have been 87 justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and Brad Schimel would be the most extreme,” the ad says.
Musk’s central role has also been criticized in pro-Crawford ads. One group supporting her launched a spot filled with striking images of Musk wielding a chainsaw onstage at a conservative gathering last month. “Elon Musk and Donald Trump cut food for hungry kids, fired air traffic controllers, and are attacking the Department of Education. Now, they’re meddling in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race,” the ad says over the images.
Schimel and his supporters, meanwhile, have leaned into tough-on-crime messaging and sharp criticism of some of Crawford’s rulings. One such ad slams her “warped soft-on-crime agenda,” warning, “Catch-and-Release Crawford: Don’t take the risk,” referring to a practice of provisionally releasing migrants into the US while they wait for their immigration court date.
Another top ad from the Musk-linked group Building America’s Future slams the sentence Crawford handed down in a child sexual assault case, an issue that has been the focus of multiple pro-Schimel spots. The ad criticizes Crawford’s sentencing decision, demanding harsher punishments for criminals, and warning “Susan Crawford: Dangerous decisions wrong for Wisconsin.”
In the closing weeks, both sides have also sought to connect the state race to key national debates, looking to turn the contest into a referendum on the opening sprint of the second Trump administration.
An ad from a group backing Schimel launched in the final week of the contest encapsulates the trend. “President Trump’s fighting back, but a liberal judge ordered deportation flights to be turned around. We don’t need another liberal judge. We need Brad Schimel,” says the ad, from the group Fair Courts America, referencing the administration’s battle with courts over its aggressive deportation program.
The leading pro-Crawford group, meanwhile, went up with another TV ad this week seizing on Musk’s high-profile role in both the new administration and the state court race. “Elon Musk bought his way to unelected power. Now with Brad Schimel, he’s trying to buy his way into our state Supreme Court. Does Musk know that shady Brad Schimel is for sale? Musk is spending millions to elect Schimel, and Schimel could open the doors to Musk’s radical plans,” the ad says.
The flood of spending and advertising blitz is expected to continue over the final days of the race. Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said in a briefing this month that the final spending total could double the 2023 record — a total that would be around $100 million.
“It would not be crazy to say that this race could be double what the last Supreme Court race was, especially with the trends and especially with the track that we’re on,” Ramos said, according to a report from the Wisconsin Examiner.
And Keith, at the Brennan Center, warned that the record-breaking sums and fierce politicking could have a corrosive effect on public confidence in the courts.
“The way judicial elections are taking place makes it harder for (the public) to view judges as different from other political actors,” he said. “It has potential to have a real impact on how judges decide cases and how the public views judges.”
