Follow The Money

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held yesterday with candidate Susan Crawford besting Brad Schimel in what everyone has concluded was very much a national race.  And by any measure the costliest judicial race in our country's history.

With ideological control of the court again at stake, the race shattered the record set just two years ago. Through April 1, WisPolitics tracked $107 million in overall spending through independent expenditure filings with the state, data from AdImpact, information from media buyers and sources with knowledge of the efforts. That includes $58.2 million by Schimel and those supporting him and $48.8 million by Crawford and those backing her.

Still, no donor was more influential than Elon Musk.  

The billionaire oligarch and top aide to President Trump plus two aligned PACs put in more than  $24 million, according to the WisPolitics tally. That includes $12.6 million by America PAC and another nearly $8.7 million by Building America’s Future PAC. 

Oh Boy, Howdy!

Key Points

• Records show that more than 100,000 people from all 50 states have sent money to the campaigns of liberal Susan Crawford and conservative Brad Schimel in hopes of helping them across the finish line.
• Overall, Crawford has raised more than $26 million, almost double the $14 million Schimel has raised.
• Some 77% of Crawford's donors come from outside Wisconsin, compared with only 13% of Schimel's backers. Still, both drew the bulk of their cash from Wisconsinites.
  

 

Link to excellent local coverage of the donor class for each candidate.