Wisconsin votes in high-profile judicial race after millions spent by Musk

WISCONSIN - Wisconsin voters will choose a new justice for the state’s top court on April 1 in a race that offers an early referendum on Mr Donald Trump’s presidency, with abortion rights, labour rights and election rules all potentially in the balance.

The campaign is easily the most expensive judicial contest in US history. More than US$90 million (S$120 million) has been spent by the candidates, the state parties and outside groups – including more than US$21 million by Trump ally Elon Musk and political groups with ties to him, according to a tally from New York University's Brennan Centre.

Liberal Susan Crawford, a county judge, and conservative Brad Schimel, a former Republican state attorney-general and also a county judge, are vying for a seat on the court that currently has a 4-3 liberal edge. The race is technically non-partisan, though Mr Trump has endorsed Mr Schimel and both state Democrats and Republicans have lined up behind their preferred candidate.

The court is likely to issue critical rulings on voting rights and election rules ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race, when Wisconsin is expected to remain a central battleground. Mr Trump won Wisconsin in November by less than a percentage point, the closest margin of any state.

The court is also poised to decide whether abortion rights should remain legal statewide and could revisit a Republican-backed law that stripped most public employee unions of collective bargaining rights.

Mr Musk, whose so-called Department of Government Efficiency is overseeing

Mr Trump’s unprecedented cost-cutting campaign at the federal government,

has become a central figure in the race. He held a rally on the night of March 30 where his main super PAC, or political action committee, handed out US$1 million cheques to two voters.

Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney-general Josh Kaul sued to block the payments, arguing that they violated a state anti-bribery law. The state Supreme Court declined to take up the case without comment shortly before the event on March 30.

Mr Musk, who spent more than US$250 million to help Mr Trump win the election last November, also

promised to pay volunteers US$20

for every voter they recruit before the election on April 1.

The Tesla chief executive said he is concerned that a liberal court could seek to redraw the state’s Republican-created congressional lines, which could imperil the party’s thin majority in the US House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.

“I think this will be important for the future of civilisation. It’s that significant,” Mr Musk said at a rally on March 30.

Democrats have sought to highlight Mr Musk’s involvement, with Ms Crawford’s supporters emphasising that he may have a personal stake in the outcome – Tesla sued the state in January over a law barring car manufacturers from opening dealerships, a case that could eventually come before the state Supreme Court.

Mr Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment about accusations that he has a personal interest in the election’s outcome.

Ms Crawford’s campaign has gotten a boost from billionaire Democratic megadonors, including philanthropist George Soros and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Separately, voters in Florida will cast ballots in a pair of special elections to fill US House vacancies created by Mr Trump’s Cabinet picks. Republicans are expected to easily hold both seats, though Democrats are watching closely to see if their candidates win more than the roughly one-third of the vote they secured last November.

Republican state chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis is running against Democrat Gay Valimont, a gun violence prevention activist, in one district centred on Pensacola. In the other district, which includes Daytona Beach, Republican state Senator Randy Fine faces Democrat Josh Weil, a public school educator.

Victories in both would broaden the Republicans’ House majority to 220-213. REUTERS