Schimel, Crawford make multiple campaign stops each day as record spending total soars higher
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- As the most expensive judicial race in US history hits the home stretch, the campaigns are reaching a near-fever pitch.
Both candidates are making multiple campaign stops every day, as millions of dollars in support continues to flow in.
Supporters for each candidate held dueling events at the same location Thursday, March 27, and Elon Musk said he paid a Wisconsin voter $1 million.
Between the campaign stops, ads, national attention, and money, it seems only the April 1st election will stop the frenzy that is the Wisconsin State Supreme Court race.
The rhetoric is heating up as the race is winding down.
Brad Schimel's Thursday night campaign event was delayed by a tele-town hall with President Trump.
Schimel said of Trump, "He had some choice words for my opponent's background and things."
Across the street from the Schimel event, Susan Crawford supporters attacked Schimel's primary donor, Elon Musk, who just announced his PAC paid a Green Bay man $1 million for signing a pro-Schimel pledge.
LuAnn Bird was among several dozen people protesting against Schimel. Bird said, "People should be motivated to vote because they care about democracy, not because they're going to get paid a million dollars."
The Crawford campaign said of the payment, "It's corrupt, it's extreme, and it's disgraceful to our state and judiciary."
Musk said the next million-dollar payment will be announced Saturday.
Harry Dunn is a former US Capitol Police officer who was on duty during the January 6, 2021, insurrection attempt. Now he's campaigning in Wisconsin for Crawford.
Dunn said, "What's going on in this country right now isn't good for middle of the road people. It's good for rich people, that are well off. But it's not good for everyday people."
For nearly two decades, the most expensive court race in the country cost a total of $15 million, in Illinois in 2004.
Wisconsin more than tripled that figure in 2023 when Janet Protasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly.
But this year's race exploded the record to new heights.
Even Schimel's supporters are amazed by the $81 million total that keeps growing.
A woman named Alice attended the event. She told us, "It's so unnecessary, it's such a huge waste of money. But I know that the campaigns do it because there's an arms race, basically."
After the event, Schimel criticized the outside money benefitting Crawford, saying, "It shouldn't be bought by out of state voters who are plugging tons of money into this race. We should be deciding it here."
But when asked about Musk's contributions, he said he had no control.
The race is seemingly inescapable, even for voters tuning out the ads. For more than six hours Thursday, a plane flew circles around Milwaukee, towing a sign that read, "GO HOME ELON. VOTE SUSAN."
On Friday, Schimel will campaign with Senator Ron Johnson in Washington and Dodge Counties.
Crawford will campaign in Beloit and Kenosha Friday, and Milwaukee Saturday.