If you’ve spent any time in Wisconsin lately, you know that our "nonpartisan" judicial races have basically turned into a high-stakes proxy war for the entire country. Honestly, it’s a lot. The Wisconsin Supreme Court election 2025 candidates didn't just walk into a quiet courtroom; they walked into a $100 million furnace.
When Justice Ann Walsh Bradley announced she was stepping down after nearly 30 years, it was like a starting gun for every political donor from Madison to Silicon Valley. Most people assume these races are just about dry legal theories. They aren’t. In 2025, it was about whether the 4-3 liberal majority established back in 2023 would stay alive or get flipped on its head.
The Face-Off: Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel
The ballot didn't have a "D" or an "R" next to the names, but let’s be real—everyone knew who was who.
On one side, you had Susan Crawford. She’s a Dane County Circuit Court judge with a resume that reads like a "who’s who" of liberal legal causes. She worked under Governor Jim Doyle and later in private practice, where she famously fought for Planned Parenthood and challenged the state’s voter ID laws. Basically, if there was a major liberal legal battle in the last decade, Crawford was probably nearby.
Then you had Brad Schimel. He’s a Waukesha County judge now, but he’s better known as the former Republican Attorney General of Wisconsin. Schimel is a "law and order" guy through and through. He leaned hard into his endorsement from Donald Trump and framed himself as the only thing standing between Wisconsin and "radical" judicial activism.
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Why this race felt so different
Usually, these spring elections are sleepy affairs. Not this one. This was the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.
Why? Because Elon Musk jumped in. He poured millions into groups supporting Schimel. At one point, he was even handing out $1 million checks to voters in the state just days before the election. On the other side, Susan Crawford was getting massive support from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, George Soros, and even a campaign stop from Tim Walz. It was a circus.
What the candidates actually stood for
If you look past the attack ads—and there were plenty calling Crawford "soft on crime" and Schimel "an extremist"—there were deep philosophical divides.
Susan Crawford's Platform:
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- Abortion Rights: She was the clear choice for those wanting to protect reproductive access. She often cited her work for Planned Parenthood as evidence of her commitment to "constitutional freedoms."
- Labor Rights: She had a history of fighting Act 10, the law that gutted collective bargaining for public unions.
- Fair Maps: She openly supported the 2023 ruling that tossed out Republican-drawn legislative districts.
Brad Schimel's Platform:
- Strict Constructionism: He argued that judges should just call balls and strikes, not make law from the bench.
- Tough on Crime: His campaign focused heavily on his time as a prosecutor and DA, promising to back law enforcement.
- Conservative Values: He was a vocal supporter of the 1849 abortion ban, arguing it was still valid law until the court said otherwise.
The Debate at Marquette
There was a moment in March 2025 at the Marquette University Law School debate that really summed it up. Schimel accused the current liberal court of "imposing their will" on the people. Crawford shot back that she was running to "protect basic rights" that were under attack. It wasn't just a legal disagreement; it was two different visions for how Wisconsin should function.
The Results and What They Mean Now
When the dust settled on April 1, 2025, Susan Crawford won.
It wasn't even that close. She took about 55% of the vote compared to Schimel’s 45%. Turnout was insane—over 52% of the voting-age population showed up. To put that in perspective, a "good" turnout for a spring election used to be around 20% or 30%.
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Crawford’s victory did one big thing: it locked in the liberal 4-3 majority for at least another three years. Because a liberal justice isn't up for election again until 2028, the court's current trajectory on things like abortion, voting rules, and union rights is pretty much set in stone for a while.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Even though Crawford is now on the bench (she was sworn in August 1, 2025), the political machinery hasn't stopped. We’re already seeing the 2026 race heat up. Conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley’s seat is the next big prize.
Currently, Judge Chris Taylor (liberal-backed) is already out-raising her potential opponent, Judge Maria Lazar, by nearly ten to one. It seems like the momentum from Crawford’s 2025 win has carried over. If Taylor wins in 2026, the liberal majority would grow to 5-2, which would be a massive shift for a state as purple as Wisconsin.
Actionable Steps for Wisconsin Voters
The 2025 election proved that your vote in these "off-year" contests is arguably more impactful than in a presidential year because the margins are so tight and the consequences are so local.
- Verify your registration: Even if you voted in 2024 or 2025, check MyVote Wisconsin to ensure your info is current.
- Track the 2026 money: Use sites like OpenSecrets or the Wisconsin Ethics Commission portal to see who is actually funding these candidates. As we saw with Musk and Soros, the money tells you exactly what interests are at play.
- Read the opinions: Don't just listen to the ads. The Wisconsin Supreme Court website posts every decision. Read the "Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission" ruling to see how the current court thinks about redistricting.
- Mark your calendar: The next big judicial primary is February 2026, with the general election on April 7, 2026.
The era of "sleepy" judicial elections is over. Whether you like the results of the 2025 race or not, it changed the rules of the game forever.