Democrats vow to 'punch back' against Elon Musk's millions in state Supreme Court race

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin Democrats are vowing to "punch back" against a well-known billionaire that's pouring millions into the state's hotly contested Supreme Court race.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin announced a new seven-figure effort targeting the Trump administration.

The move is designed to compete with the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, for funneling millions into the contest for Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel.

Republicans currently have a significant financial edge over Democrats in spending in the race, largely due to Musk and other GOP allies.

Musk's super PAC has spent $3.2 million on "Get out the Vote" efforts and his nonprofit has spent more than $2 million on ads attacking Crawford.

Democrats are backing Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. Both candidates will square off on April 1 when voters will decide whether liberals maintain control of the court or conservatives do.

The state party has been trying to put the contest in the national spotlight by tying Musk to President Donald Trump. Musk serves as an advisor to Trump and leads the controversial government efficiency initiative known as DOGE.

Ben Wikler, chairman of state Democratic Party, said they plan to spend more than $1 million on the "People v. Musk" effort which includes digital ads, billboards, and town halls. The first town hall will be held on Thursday in Sauk County, a swing district in the battleground state.

During a Milwaukee Rotary Club event co-hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, Crawford said she's glad her allies are using resources to target Musk.

"If we just sat back and let Elon Musk dominate the airwaves and be drowned out, I don't think we'd win this election," Crawford said. "We have to make sure we are getting our message to voters."

Crawford did not directly respond to questions on whether she views the race as a referendum on Trump, but called Musk's involvement a "distraction."

"I think that's very concerning when someone like that wades into a state judicial race with millions of dollars in attack ads," she said.

Schimel has also criticized Crawford for accepting money from big Democratic donors including Geroge Soros' $1 million donation and $500,000 from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Schimel's campaign said in a statement Crawford "sold out her objectivity" to "extreme liberals."

"Judge Schimel is committed to restoring fairness to the court and saving Wisconsin from the Democrats' radical agenda," said Jacob Fischer, a spokesman for Schimel.

Both candidates have said donors will not impact their ability to be impartial if elected.