Democrats win Wisconsin Supreme Court race in Trump, Musk rebuke

The liberal judge’s Supreme Court win could tarnish Musk’s political clout and trigger worry for Republicans about how voters see the opening months of Donald Trump’s new administration.

Elections in Florida and Wisconsin will test the popularity of Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Picture; AFP.

Elon Musk’s massive investment in a Wisconsin Supreme Court election hasn’t paid off after a liberal judge secured a victory that could tarnish the billionaire’s political clout and trigger worry for some in the GOP about how voters are processing the opening months of President Trump’s new administration.

While the Wisconsin contest was the most significant election held Tuesday, Republicans won two special House elections in Florida. Those races, in traditionally deeply red congressional districts, were closer than expected.

The state Supreme Court race, technically a nonpartisan election, easily set a spending record for a US judicial contest. It became heavily nationalised and served as the first major electoral test of Trump’s second presidency.

Wisconsin awarded Trump his narrowest state margin in November, and the race was closely watched for how swing state voters have digested the 10 weeks since his inauguration, as well as whether Musk would be a political asset or liability for Republicans moving forward.

The victory by liberal Judge Susan Crawford suggested pushback against Trump and Musk and will provide national energy for Democrats who have struggled to find a successful message to counter the president.

Her win over conservative Judge Brad Schimel, which the Associated Press called a bit more than an hour after the polls closed, means the court will keep its 4-3 liberal majority.

That will weigh heavily on the fate of abortion rights and union organising in the state. It could also impact boundary maps for two GOP-held congressional districts that Democrats would like to challenge that could be critical to the party’s efforts to win control of the House of Representatives in 2026.

Musk and groups tied with him spent at least $20 million, and he had become a central character in the race, making an appearance in the state the weekend before the election and handing out million-dollar checks to two voters.

Musk, the world’s richest man, travelled to Wisconsin on Sunday to personally hand out checks for $1 million each to two voters who entered a raffle he offered to Wisconsin voters who signed a petition opposing “activist judges.” The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive, who also leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, is the race’s biggest donor. Musk has repeatedly posted on social media and held a livestream with his chosen candidate to try to boost GOP participation and reverse the court’s 4-3 liberal majority.

Republican consultant Alex Conant said the outcome is likely to be dismissed by those in the GOP most closely aligned with Trump.

The result came after a closer-than-expected race in a deeply red Florida congressional district suggested the first major electoral test of Donald Trump’s second presidency was showing some signs of stress.

The balloting Tuesday in two special House elections in Florida and a Wisconsin Supreme Court race will offer the first window into how voters are digesting the opening months of Trump’s presidency and whether his close alliance with Elon Musk is a political asset or liability.

The elections were held just before the president prepares to roll out new tariffs Wednesday (local time), a prospect that has rattled markets for weeks.

In the race to fill former Rep. Mike Waltz’s seat in the Daytona Beach area, Republican state Sen. Randy Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil, a teacher and progressive activist, the Associated Press said.

The margin was much closer than expected in a district Waltz had won by 33 percentage points in November before resigning to become Trump’s national-security adviser. He is now at the centre of a scandal over the use of a common messaging app by top Trump officials to discuss classified information.

The GOP expressed nervousness in the campaign’s closing days in the midst of signs the Sixth Congressional District race was closer than expected.

The special election for Florida’s First District, which includes the Panhandle’s westernmost section, was won by former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in November by 32 percentage points before he resigned in January.

The race to succeed him was viewed as less competitive than the one in Waltz’s old district. Republican Jimmy Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, was favoured over Gay Valimont, a Democratic gun-control activist.

With Republicans now holding just a 218-213 majority in the House, the elections got more attention than they might have otherwise because of the party’s tenuous hold on power in that chamber.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters ahead of the closing of polls in Florida that picking up the two seats would be “big improvement” in the party’s current majority.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, picks up her ballot to vote in Madison, Wisconsin. Picture: Getty Images via AFP.

Democrats have worked hard in Wisconsin and elsewhere to cast Musk as a political villain ruthlessly cutting government jobs and services while potentially profiting from access to Trump and government data.

The billionaire has potential business before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His electric-vehicle maker is challenging the state’s “factory store” law that bars manufacturers from owning dealerships. Tesla has two company stores in the state, but buyers must travel elsewhere to pick up vehicles.

America First Patriot Randy Fine is running to represent the Wonderful People of Florida’s 6th Congressional District! A highly successful, Harvard educated businessman, and greatly respected State Legislator, Randy has been a tremendous Voice for MAGA. In Congress, Randy will be…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2025

While millions have been spent on the two Florida races, the totals there are nothing compared with what has been predicted to be close to $100 million in spending on the Wisconsin contest.

The previous national record for a judicial election was set in Wisconsin’s 2023 Supreme Court contest, when $55 million was spent overall and the court flipped to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years after a liberal candidate won by 11 percentage points. Ad spending alone on the Wisconsin race totalled more than $75 million as of Monday, data from AdImpact shows.

Dow Jones