- Conservative group Building America’s Future invested $2 million in deceptive ads targeting judicial candidate Susan Crawford
- April 1 election could shift Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 4-3 liberal majority ahead of 2028 redistricting cases
- Same tactics previously used against Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential race through contradictory messaging
- 60% of Wisconsin voters remain undecided about Crawford with early voting approaching
New evidence reveals a coordinated effort to influence Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election through psychologically targeted digital campaigns. Building America’s Future, a conservative organization receiving substantial funding from Elon Musk, has deployed $2 million in ads disguised as progressive messaging. These promotions strategically highlight Crawford’s support for abortion rights and criminal justice reform – issues designed to alienate moderate voters in the technically nonpartisan race.
The ads’ sophisticated architecture leverages Meta’s custom audience tools to micro-target specific voter demographics. Unlike traditional attack ads, this campaign employs reverse psychology by ostensibly praising Crawford’s progressive credentials. Political analysts suggest this approach aims to create cognitive dissonance among independent voters who typically support pragmatic judicial candidates.
Wisconsin’s judicial election carries national implications, as the court will likely rule on 2028 congressional redistricting maps and potential challenges to federal election results. Recent history shows the critical role of state supreme courts – in 2024, Pennsylvania’s high court determined the outcome of three presidential electors through mail-in ballot rulings.
This marks the second major deployment of Building America’s Future’s signature ‘political mirroring’ strategy. Last September, the group created fictitious progressive organization Progress 2028 to disseminate conflicting messages about Kamala Harris’ energy policies to different voter blocs. Arab American communities saw ads claiming Harris supported unlimited Israeli military aid, while Jewish voters received messages suggesting she advocated for Palestinian statehood.
Voter awareness appears crucial in countering these tactics. Marquette University’s latest poll shows 58% of Wisconsinites remain unfamiliar with Crawford, creating fertile ground for misinformation campaigns. However, experts note that voters who recognize the ads’ manipulative nature tend to develop stronger anti-Schimel sentiment – a phenomenon dubbed the ‘boomerang effect’ in political psychology.
The financial arms race continues as both candidates attract billionaire backers. While Musk’s networks have contributed $5.2 million to conservative-aligned efforts, Crawford benefits from $2.3 million in support from A Better Wisconsin Together and donations linked to George Soros. This funding disparity highlights growing concerns about judicial elections becoming proxy wars for national ideological battles.
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers warn that such ad campaigns could permanently alter judicial election dynamics. Their 2027 study on Michigan’s Supreme Court races found that deceptive digital ads reduced voter confidence in judicial impartiality by 37%. As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, election watchdogs urge platforms to implement real-time ad transparency protocols during critical voting periods.