A state judge’s race draws national attention in US
Washington, March 31 : The Tuesday election for a judge to the Supreme Court of the US’ Wisconsin state is attracting national attention and millions of dollars as the first test of President Donald Trump’s popularity and the Democrats’ readiness to bounce back from the 2024 poll defeat, and potentially determine the party position in the House of Representatives in the future.
Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser to President Trump, handed out two checks of $1 million to attendees at a Republican party rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Sunday. He and his other Republicans have spent an estimated $20 million in support of the conservative candidate. Democratic donors such as billionaire George Soros have also provided similar dollar support to the liberal candidate.
It’s a two-candidate race between Republican Brad Schimel and Democrat Susan Crawford, both of whom are county judges currently. Schimel’s victory will change the 4-3 majority that the Democrats hold in the current seven-member bench.
At stake is more than the judgeship of a state supreme court. It has been touted as the first test of President Trump’s popularity as the first election after his return to the White House. Wisconsin is a swing state that he won in November 2024; President Joe Biden had won it in 2020. Although he has endorsed Schimel, he has so far resisted calls for him to travel to the state to campaign for the candidate..
Also being watched closely are two special elections in Florida, to replace Republicans Michael Waltz, who resigned to become President Trump’s National Security Adviser, and Matt Gaetz, who was named by Trump to be his attorney general but pulled out. Trump held tele-rallies for the two candidates on Sunday. The race for Waltz’s seat is said to be close.
The other reason for the national interest in the state race in Wisconsin is, as Musk said at the rally, it will determine “which party controls the US House of Representatives”.
The current Democratic-majority Supreme Court has ordered a redrawing of congressional districts, saying that, as established by a Republican-led court, they were unconstitutional as they were not contiguous. Democrats have long held that Republicans redrew some congressional districts, giving themselves an unfair electoral edge, which gives them an undeservedly larger proportion of the eight congressional districts of the state which are quite evenly divided otherwise.
And this, in turn, they have argued, contributes to the party’s tally in the House of Representatives, which it currently controls.
