Wisconsin Supreme Court Canddiate Brad Schimel Respects Life and the Rule of Law

A judicial contest in the Badger State is heating up and drawing national attention. Following President Donald Trump’s sweeping electoral victory in November, the race for a seat on Wisconsin’s state supreme court is shaping up to be the first major test of conservative voter momentum since the presidential election. Already, the race has become the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, with spending exceeding $59 million so far and expected to reach $100 million. Early voting is underway and will continue until March 30, and the election itself is on April 1.

In comments to The Washington Stand, FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter urged Christians and conservatives in Wisconsin to vote in the crucial contest. “Turnout is generally low in these odd-year elections, even below midterm elections, so that’s why it’s important that Christians show up big-time — they can make the difference,” Carpenter said. An FRC Action Alert obtained by TWS and sent to voters in Wisconsin highlighted the significance of the judicial race:

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“The decisions made by the Wisconsin Supreme Court have an immense impact on the work of the General Assembly, the integrity of Wisconsin’s elections, the unborn, and more. In 2023, liberal Janet Protasiewicz won an open seat, which created a 4-3 liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This majority has already forced the redrawing of state legislative districts, reversed previous court rulings on unstaffed mail-in drop boxes, and is expected to rule soon on a pre-Roe v. Wade law concerning the protection of unborn lives.”

While the race is officially non-partisan, candidate Susan Crawford, an incumbent Wisconsin Circuit Court judge for Dane County, has aligned herself with the Democratic Party’s agenda, and candidate Brad Schimel, an incumbent Wisconsin Circuit Court judge for Waukesha and the state’s former attorney general, has aligned himself with the GOP’s agenda. So who are Crawford and Schimel, what do they stand for, and who is backing them?

Susan Crawford

The Democrat-aligned candidate for a seat on Wisconsin’s highest court began her legal career with Iowa’s Department of Justice, before moving to Wisconsin’s, where she worked closely with then-Attorney General Jim Doyle, who would later become the state’s Democratic governor. Under Doyle’s administration, Crawford moved around various state departments, including the Wisconsin Department of Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections before eventually being elevated to the role of Doyle’s chief legal counsel. Following Doyle’s departure from office, Crawford worked as a litigator for various left-wing organizations and causes, particularly focusing on teachers unions and pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood.

Crawford’s litigation history and positions on issues such as abortion have earned her the support of numerous Democrats and left-wing donors. She has so far been endorsed by former President Barack Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), billionaire activist George Soros, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) President Mini Timmaraju, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, the pro-abortion EMILY’s List, the pro-LGBT Human Rights Campaign, the atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and a host of labor unions. She has also received the tacit endorsement of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D), who has funded much of Crawford’s advertising campaign, alongside Soros.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America affiliate Women Speak Out PAC sent out fliers to Wisconsin voters warning of Crawford’s “extreme” pro-abortion positions. The mailer stated that Crawford “is an extreme abortion activist, not an impartial judge.” Noting the bevy of pro-abortion activists and organizations supporting Crawford’s candidacy, the mailer added, “Thousands of lives are at stake! Don’t let Susan Crawford use Wisconsin’s highest court to impose abortion on demand with no limits!”

Pro-abortion groups aren’t the only ones backing Crawford, though. According to The Federalist, an LGBT nightclub in Madison hosted a “Disney Princess Drag Bingo” fundraiser to benefit Crawford’s campaign. “Right now more than ever we need to make sure to elect Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” said a social media post by Brandon Rounds, a “drag queen” who goes by the stage name Bianca Lynn Breeze. He added, “This [is] the future of Wisconsin and the LGBTQ Community. Come support this cause, and let’s raise some money!”

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also stomped for Crawford in an event featuring a vulgar, profane singer who identifies as transgender performing a song blaspheming God. A campaign ad aired by Schimel’s team also accuses Crawford of being backed by pro-transgender radicals. The ad warns that Crawford’s donors support allowing adult men who identify as transgender to use girls’ bathrooms at schools, biological boys to compete against girls in sports, and furnishing children with puberty blockers without parental consent. “That’s who Susan Crawford sides with, and I’m not okay with any of it,” the ad’s narrator ends.

Brad Schimel

The conservative Catholic candidate began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked for 16 years before being elected district attorney. He was elected as Wisconsin’s attorney general in 2014 and, in that role, contested pro-abortion laws and court rulings and challenged the Obama-instituted Affordable Care Act. Republican Governor Scott Walker appointed Schimel to the Waukesha County Circuit Court in 2018.

While Crawford has earned the support of numerous Democrats and progressive groups, Schimel has been endorsed by Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), five Wisconsin Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Wisconsin Republican Party, the National Rifle Association (NRA) Political Victory Fund, and several high-profile allies of President Donald Trump, including billionaire Elon Musk, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and the president’s son, Donald Trump, Jr. Musk has reportedly spent millions of dollars campaigning for Schimel. The Women Speak Out PAC and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America have both supported Schimel’s pro-life record, describing the candidate as someone “who respects life, the Constitution[,] and the rule of law.”

In a televised debate against Crawford last week, Schimel accused his opponent of disingenuously moderating her position on election integrity while campaigning. Schimel noted that a measure to enshrine voter identification requirements into the state constitution is also on the ballot April 1 and that he intends to vote for it, but pointed out that Crawford has challenged the state’s voter identification laws in the past. “Now she backs off from things she was once proud of, campaigning as a judge,” Schimel said.

Carpenter told The Washington Stand, “Wisconsin has some of the best — if not the best — voter I.D. laws in the nation and enshrining them in the state constitution is one way to ensure the state’s supreme court (which has had a liberal majority since Janet Protasiewicz won an open seat in 2023) can’t block them.”

LifeNews Note: S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.