The MAGA backlash arrives

Elon Musk listens as US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11.

Democrats solidified their 4-3 progressive majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, and the ramifications are nationwide. The comfortable win by Democratic Judge Susan Crawford is the second sign in two weeks of a political backlash against the Trump Presidency.

Democrats turned out in large numbers to defeat Republican Judge Brad Schimel in a race in which the two sides may have spent as much as $100 million. Democrats sought to make the race a referendum on Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and Mr Musk responded by trying to mobilise the Trump voters who tend to stay home in spring elections. The Democratic bet paid off.

That’s a warning to the GOP that the Trump-Musk governing style is stirring a backlash that could cost them control of Congress next year. All the more so given the results in two special House races in Florida Tuesday to replace a pair of Republicans.

These are safe seats, and Republicans won the western Panhandle district held by Matt Gaetz with some room to spare. But Jimmy Patronis’s 57 per cent was about nine points less than the 66 per cent that Mr Gaetz won in 2024. It was a similar story in the Palm Coast seat of former Rep. Mike Waltz, who is now Mr Trump’s national security adviser.

Democrats had a better candidate, but the swing to Democrats was about nine points from Mr Waltz’s 66.5 per cent vote share in 2024 to state Sen. Randy Fine’s roughly 57 per cent on Tuesday. Democrats are fired up to make a statement about Mr Trump’s polarising second term. Last week they flipped a Pennsylvania state Senate seat long held by the GOP.

Republicans can console themselves that they held the Florida seats and thus their narrow House majority. And we hope the results don’t scare House Republicans into backing away from their tax and regulatory reform agenda. That’s what Democrats would love, so next year they’d get the benefit both ways — motivated Democrats and sullen Republicans after a GOP governing failure.

But the elections are a warning to Mr Trump to focus on what got him re-elected — especially prices and growth in real incomes after inflation. His willy-nilly tariff agenda undermining stock prices and consumer and business confidence isn’t helping.

As for Wisconsin, Republicans in that state will now have to live with a wilful Supreme Court majority that could reverse nearly everything the GOP accomplished under former Gov. Scott Walker. School vouchers, collective-bargaining reform for public workers, tort reform and more are likely to be challenged in lawsuits by the left. Congressional district electoral maps will also be challenged and could cost the GOP two House seats.

The MAGA majority may have a shorter run than advertised.

The Wall St Journal