Takeaways from Tuesday's election: Crawford's path to victory, political headwinds facing GOP
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Liberals on the state Supreme Court will maintain their 4-3 majority on the bench after Susan Crawford sailed to victory Tuesday tonight in a race framed as a referendum on Elon Musk.
Crawford, backed by Democrats, defeated her conservative opponent Brad Schimel by 10 percentage points, according to unofficial results Wednesday.
Here are some of the key takeaways from Tuesday's election.
Political Headwinds Facing Trump, GOP
Some political insiders predict the results show there's political headwinds facing Republicans after Crawford beat Schimel, who embraced President Donald Trump's endorsement and support from his top advisor Elon Musk.
Elon Musk's involvement in the state Supreme Court contest that cost a record $100 million was described as a double-edge sword from the Schimel campaign, said Bill McCoshen, a longtime GOP strategist.
"I do think Musk was an issue," McCoshen said. "It was a tough (loss)."
Musk spent more than $20 million supporting Schimel and offering cash prizes to voters, including handing out three one million dollar checks to Wisconsinites during the final days of the campaign.
"I think giving out checks didn’t sit well with Wisconsin voters," said McCoshen. "On the other hand, had [Musk] not put $20 million into this thing, Schimel would have lost by 15."
Democrats are taking a victory lap after liberals have won the last 4/5 state Supreme Court contests, all by wide margins since 2018.
Joe Zepecki, a Democratic strategist, says there's "no question" Musk's influence was a "political problem" for Republicans.
"What we learned last night is that Elon Musk's millions can't save Republicans from a deeply unpopular agenda we're seeing out of Washington," Zepecki said.
It comes as there's a lot of uncertainty about Musk's future as signs show his DOGE effort may be nearing an end.
The cost-cutting government agency always had an expiration date, but now some individuals in Trump's inner circle are considering cutting ties with DOGE much earlier than expected.
Crawford Overperformed in Democratic Strongholds
Crawford exceeded expectations with her performance in Dane and Milwaukee County, two Democratic strongholds.
She put up higher numbers than Vice President Kamala Harris received in both counties during the November election.
She received 82% in Dane compared to Schimel's 18%. Harris gained 76% of the vote in the deep-blue region with Trump receiving 23% during the 2024 presidential race.
During the 2023 state Supreme Court race, Janet Protasiewicz took 82% in Dane County as well.
In Milwaukee County, Crawford also surpassed Protasiewicz vote total from two years ago by gaining more than 56,000 votes.
Schimel Underperformed in BOW Counties
Crawford won Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties after Trump secured victories in all three last fall.
Schimel gained 48% vs. Crawford's 52% in Brown County. In Winnebago, Crawford secured more than 4,500 votes over her opponent and a nearly 1,000 vote lead in Outagamie.
Voter Turnout
Turnout in the Supreme Court race topped 2.3 million with 99% precincts reporting. That’s roughly a 26% increase statewide compared to 2023.
Some Republicans believed a surge in early voting was a promising sign there's a wave of new conservative voters.
Amy Tuetenberg, a Milwaukee voter who knocked doors for Schimel, said she was shocked by the results because of the significant uptick in voters casting ballots before the election.
"I thought those votes were going to Schimel," Tuetenberg said. "While door knocking, I did get a lot of angry rants about Elon Musk."