President Donald Trump has endorsed Brad Schimel for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, according to a report published on Friday. Late in the day, Trump posted his endorsement on Truth Social, writing: “There is a very important Election for State Supreme Court on April 1st, and Early Voting is now underway,” Trump’s post said. “Brad Schimel is running against Radical Left Liberal Susan Crawford, who has repeatedly given child molesters, rapists, women beaters, and domestic abusers ‘light’ sentences.”
He added: “She is the handpicked voice of the Leftists who are out to destroy your State, and our Country — And if she wins, the Movement to restore our Nation will bypass Wisconsin. All Voters who believe in Common Sense should GET OUT TO VOTE EARLY for Brad Schimel.” The president also the importance of getting to the polls early, ahead of the April 1 Election Day.
“By turning out and VOTING EARLY, you will be helping to Uphold the Rule of Law, Protect our Incredible Police, Secure our Beloved Constitution, Safeguard our Inalienable Rights, and PRESERVE LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL,” he wrote. In his post, he also shared a link to a website urging voters to “swamp the vote” and offering a timeline for requesting absentee and mail-in ballots.
Crawford and Schimel are competing to replace outgoing Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. According to a March 9–10 poll, the race is neck and neck ahead of the April 1 election. The outcome will determine which side holds a 4-3 majority on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, where judicial candidates are officially nonpartisan. Both candidates—currently serving as circuit judges, with Schimel also having previously served as the state attorney general—laid out their positions during a March 12 debate. The high-stakes race has attracted millions in funding from out-of-state groups, including Elon Musk’s America PAC.
Crawford has come under scrutiny for her past sentencing decisions. During an earlier debate this month, she was asked whether she regretted handing down a sentence below the prosecution’s recommendation in a case involving the sexual assault of a child. “I don’t regret that sentence because I followed the law in that case,” she responded.
In February, a political action committee linked to top Trump ally Elon Musk launched a multi-million-dollar television ad campaign ahead of the crucial Supreme Court election in Wisconsin. The Musk-founded America PAC, which has previously supported Trump’s election efforts and early voting initiatives in swing states, is spending $1 million on canvassing and field operations to support Schimel, according to state election records.
America PAC’s ad campaign follows an estimated $1.5 million in airtime purchased by Building America’s Future, another group supported by Musk. According to contracts posted by the Federal Communications Commission, more than $400,000 worth of ads will air in the Madison, Eau Claire, Wausau, and Green Bay areas. An additional $255,000 will be spent on ads in and around Milwaukee, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The ads will begin running around the state on Tuesday and are expected to run through early March. Conservative activist Scott Pressler, known for registering thousands of Republican voters in swing states over the past five years, has repeatedly emphasized the significance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. He previously voiced frustration over low Republican turnout in a past judicial election in the Badger State, which followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade.
