Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race in huge blow to Trump and Musk agenda | EUROtoday

Wisconsin voters have elected a liberal justice to the state’s Supreme Court, with Susan Crawford defeating Elon Musk-backed Brad Schimel in the costliest judicial election in American historical past and one of many first main electoral assessments of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Her projected victory in a intently watched race for management of the courtroom — serving as a proxy battle over the nation’s political future within the wake of Trump’s chaotic first few months again within the White House — will protect a 4-3 liberal majority on the state’s highest courtroom, which might resolve on litigation involving abortion entry and voting rights, amongst different vital points.

Tuesday’s ends in the swing state are anticipated to function an early litmus check for Americans’ response to Trump’s agenda on the poll field, and so they ship a large blow to Trump’s billionaire adviser, who has spent greater than $20 million to assist Schimel’s marketing campaign.

A equally high-stakes Wisconsin State Supreme courtroom race in 2023 set a nationwide spending document of $56 million for a state supreme courtroom election. This 12 months’s race crushed that document, with greater than $100 million, based on WisPolitics.com. Unprecedented turnout this 12 months additionally led to poll shortages in Wisconsin’s largest metropolis as voters forged ballots in “historic” numbers, based on Milwaukee officers.

Musk and his political motion committee are pouring cash into elections throughout the nation to assist Republican and conservative candidates, together with with legally doubtful pledges to “personally” hand voters $1 million checks and provides out $50 to anybody who takes an image of themselves exterior a voting sales space after voting for the candidate he helps.

His efforts mirrored the same scheme in November’s basic election, during which he spent at the very least $288 million to assist Trump win. Musk’s America PAC paid registered voters $100 every for signing petitions and awarded a number of petition signers $1 million every.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler known as Musk’s supply a “blatant felony” and an “illegal election bribery scheme” that quantities to a “chainsaw attack on democracy and the rule of law in Wisconsin and our nation,” urging legislation enforcement officers to intervene. The Democratic National Committee blanketed Wisconsin newspapers with advertisements accusing Musk of “trying to buy” a state supreme courtroom seat.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul sued Musk and America PAC to cease Musk’s scheme, although the state’s highest courtroom in the end declined to take up a case.

Crawford will substitute retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who served on the courtroom for 30 years. Crawford’s 10-year time period will start in August.

“This campaign has been an incredible, life-altering experience, in so many ways, and I’m so grateful to have earned the trust and support of voters across this great state,” Crawford advised supporters on Tuesday. “As a little girl, growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I would be taking on the richest man in the world — for justice, in Wisconsin, and we won.”

Wisconsin voters “stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale,” she mentioned.

Musk has characterised the election in apocalyptic phrases with the “destiny of humanity” and way forward for “the world” at stake, noting that the courtroom might redraw Wisconsin’s congressional maps whereas Republicans have solely a razor-thin majority within the House of Representatives.

“If you lose control of the House, there will be nonstop impeachment hearings, there will be nonstop hearings and subpoenas, they’re gonna do everything possible to stop the agenda the American people voted for,” Musk advised Fox News Channel’s The Five on Tuesday earlier than polls closed.

Wisconsin voters “squarely rejected” Trump and Musk and right-wing particular curiosity teams, based on Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin.

“And their message? Stay out of our elections and stay away from our courts — Wisconsin is not for sale,” he mentioned in an announcement following her projected victory.

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