Spending on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race has reached unprecedented heights as independent groups have injected millions of dollars in the final days leading up to the April 1st election.
The election will determine ideological control of Wisconsin’s highest court just two years after Justice Janet Protasiewicz won her seat and flipped the court to a liberal majority in 2023. That last race in Wisconsin marked the highest amount ever spent on a state judicial contest: $50 million in total.
This time around — just a day before the election — total spending on the two candidates has surpassed $90 million. A number of crucial cases are expected to appear on the court’s docket once a new justice is sworn in on August 1, including ones that will determine abortion access, voting rights, environmental action, and collective bargaining in the state. This election has also been marked by massive spending from groups outside of Wisconsin — most controversially, perhaps, including Elon Musk again paying $1 million to hand-selected voters who have signed his PAC’s petition against “activist judges.”.
President Trump recently endorsed conservative candidate Brad Schimel, a former Wisconsin attorney general and current Waukesha County judge backed by the Wisconsin Republican Party. He holds close associations with several right-wing organizations, including Charles Koch’s Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the Federalist Society, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Republican Attorney Generals Association.
As of March 25, spending in support of Schimel had reached almost $50 million. America PAC, a super PAC created and funded by Musk, has spent over $12 million in pro-Schimel canvassing, and the far-right Turning Point Action is spending an undisclosed amount on a major “Chase the Vote” operation for Schimel. Building America’s Future, another 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organization funded by Musk, has spent nearly $6 million in total. Almost $4 million of that total has gone to pro-Schimel ads alone. The other biggest spenders supporting Schimel’s campaign are Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Fair Courts America PAC, AFP, and the Republican State Leadership Committee.
Spending in support of Democratic candidate Susan Crawford stands at approximately $40.3 million. The Crawford campaign spent roughly $22 million of that total, while the remaining spending has come from independent groups.
Wisconsin state law caps direct contributions to Supreme Court candidates at $20,000 for individuals and $18,000 for PACs. However, people are permitted to donate an unlimited amount to state political parties, which can then transfer unlimited funds directly to candidates. WisPolitics reports that as of March 25 Crawford had received $10.4 million from the state Democratic Party through transfers and in-kind contributions.
So far, the largest donors to the Wisconsin Democratic Party in 2025 are billionaire investor George Soros ($2 million), Illinois Governor JB Pritzker ($1.5 million), and Milwaukee heiress and philanthropist Lynde Uihlein ($740,000). Mother-daughter philanthropists Lynn and Stacy Schusterman each gave $500,000 to the state party. Other notable donors include Laura Ricketts ($254,056), whose family founded TD Ameritrade and owns the Chicago Cubs, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman ($250,000).
A Better Wisconsin Together, an independent expenditure committee that supports progressive candidates for statewide office and the legislature in Wisconsin, has spent approximately $9.8 million in support of Crawford this election — making it the leading independent spender on her campaign. According to Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the organization first began operations during the 2020 Wisconsin State Supreme Court race, and is now one of the top interest group spenders in Wisconsin’s statewide and legislative elections.
A Better Wisconsin Together is an affiliate of ProgressNow, a 501(c)(4) organization and network of 28 state affiliates that run year-round campaigns to promote progressive politics and candidates.
Power to the Polls Action Fund has spent $1.3 million on the Wisconsin race, making it the second highest spender in support of Crawford. The group first reported independent spending in the 2023 spring and special elections. It is affiliated with Power to the Polls Wisconsin, an independent expenditure committee that focuses on activating nonvoters and infrequent voters of color in the state.
Many of the partners listed on Power to the Polls Wisconsin website are labor unions such as Service Employees International Union (SEIU), AFSCME Wisconsin, United Auto Workers (UAW), and AFT-Wisconsin. Other identified partner organizations include Movement Voter Project, America Votes, Black Voters Matter, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, Voces De La Frontera Action, and the National Education Association.
Another major supporter of Crawford is Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee (IEC), which spent just over $1.1 million in total and is associated with the 504(c)(3) Wisconsin Conservation Voters. The organization’s website explains that it “works to elect pro-conservation candidates” who will work to protect Wisconsin’s environment. According to the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System, IEC was first registered as an independent expenditure committee in 2018 and is funded by AFSCME, America Votes, Green Advocacy Project, and the League of Conservation Voters.
The American Civil Liberties Union Voter Education Fund is the fourth highest spender for Crawford, offering roughly $1 million in financial support. The ACLU launched its Voter Education Fund in 2018 as its first “nationwide voter education and mobilization program,” according to a press release. Unlike the groups mentioned above, ACLU Voter is not based in Wisconsin.
Registered with the state at the beginning of February, Wisconsin Neighbor Network Action Fund appears to have been formed specifically for this Supreme Court election. It has spent over $800,000 backing Crawford via texts and phone calls, according to its latest committee report. The organization’s website identifies AFSCME and One Fair Wage as its partners.
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