Democrats win costly Wisconsin court seat

Judge Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat

(Image credit: Scott Olson / Getty Images)

What happened

Wisconsin Democrats won Tuesday's hotly contested race for an open seat on the state Supreme Court. Judge Susan Crawford's victory, which cemented a liberal majority on the court, capped the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, with Elon Musk notably pouring in at least $25 million to back conservative Judge Brad Schimel. Total spending was close to $100 million. Republicans retained two House seats in Florida Tuesday, with state chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis winning a special election in former Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R) district and state Sen. Randy Fine claiming national security adviser Michael Waltz's seat.

Who said what

The "trio of contests provided the first significant electoral test" of President Donald Trump's "72 disruptive days" in office, USA Today said. The verdict: "Democrats have a pulse." Democrats view Crawford's 10-point win as a "sign they can flip Congress" in 2026, The Washington Post said. It "destabilized Republicans," who had hoped Trump's backing and Musk's money would juice turnout among "Trump supporters who don't vote in court elections."

Musk "expended more political capital" than anyone in the Wisconsin race, The New York Times said, and Democrats made him their "primary boogeyman." Crawford said at her victory party she "never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin. And we won!"

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Democrats also celebrated their overperformance in the Florida races, halving Trump's 30-percentage-point margin from November in both deeply red districts. Still, the Republican victories bumped their slim majority in the House to 220-213, at least until Texas and Arizona hold elections for vacant seats in heavily Democratic districts.

What next?

Crawford's victory should give liberals a 4-3 majority on Wisconsin's high court until 2028 and "at a national level," the Times said, it could "soon lead to a redrawing of Wisconsin's Republican-tilted congressional maps," potentially giving Democrats two more House seats.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.