Control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is up for grabs for the second time in two years in an election that has already broken spending records for a judicial race.
The April 1 contest pits Brad Schimel, a former Wisconsin attorney general backed by Republicans, against Susan Crawford, a Dane County circuit court judge backed by Democrats. Both are vying for the seat being vacated by a member of the court’s progressive bloc, which currently holds a 4-3 majority.
The race is the first statewide election in a battleground state since Donald Trump won a second term last November and Republicans won control of the House and Senate. The themes that have played out over the course of the campaign could have implications for elections later this cycle. While Wisconsin voters narrowly backed Trump last year, they also reelected Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin by just under a point.
