- Total spending exceeds all previous state judicial election records
- Tech billionaires and partisan groups dominate financing
- Outcome could sway rulings on abortion and redistricting
- Early voting surpasses 644,000 ballots cast
Campaign finance analysts are sounding alarms as Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race becomes America’s most expensive judicial election. New figures reveal combined spending surpassing $90 million – more than triple the state’s previous 2023 record – with political action committees accounting for 78% of total contributions. This unprecedented cash flow highlights growing concerns about corporate influence in state judiciary systems nationwide.
The Brennan Center’s latest analysis shows conservative-aligned groups maintaining a $8 million spending advantage over liberal counterparts. Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel’s campaign benefits from $20 million in Musk-affiliated PAC funding, while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and George Soros contribute substantially to challenger Susan Crawford. This financial arms race mirrors patterns seen in battleground Senate races rather than traditional nonpartisan judicial contests.
Political strategists note three critical industry shifts driving this trend: Dark money loopholes allowing unlimited PAC donations, tech moguls treating judicial races as policy laboratories, and national parties prioritizing state courts as abortion rights battlegrounds. A recent Michigan Law Review study found judicial election spending increased 144% nationally since 2020, with Wisconsin leading this concerning trajectory.
Regional comparisons reveal stark contrasts. While neighboring Minnesota caps judicial campaign donations at $2,000 per individual, Wisconsin permits unlimited independent expenditures. This regulatory gap enabled Musk’s controversial $1 million voter incentive checks – a tactic previously tested in Texas congressional races – to flood Milwaukee media markets during the campaign’s final week.
Voting data shows unprecedented engagement, with early turnout already exceeding 2023’s total participation. Elections Commission officials report 38% of ballots coming from Democratic strongholds versus 34% from Republican-leaning areas – a margin that could prove decisive given the court’s current 4-3 liberal majority. However, 28% of early voters remain unaffiliated, creating uncertainty in this razor-thin contest.
Legal scholars warn that such financial saturation risks eroding judicial impartiality perceptions. A Marquette University Law School poll indicates 61% of Wisconsinites now believe campaign donations influence courtroom decisions – up from 42% in 2022. As states like Ohio and Pennsylvania prepare for similar high-stakes judicial elections, Wisconsin’s experience offers crucial lessons about money’s evolving role in American justice systems.