Trump Endorses Brad Schimel in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
Republicans hope to use this to turn out voters in final days of race. So do Democrats.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking funding for hospitals that provide such therapy. He is shown at a campaign rally at the Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wis., on May 1, 2024. (Jeffrey Phelps for Wisconsin Watch)
President Donald Trump has endorsed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel’s run for Wisconsin Supreme Court, a move Republicans hope will motivate more Trump voters to turn out on April 1.In a post on his social media platform, Trump attacked Schimel’s opponent, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, calling her the “handpicked voice of the Leftists who are out to destroy your State, and our Country.”
Trump’s endorsement Friday night came about 11 days before most voters head to the polls in a race that will decide the ideological balance of the court, one that’s being treated as a referendum on how swing state voters feel about the direction of the country during Trump’s second term.
In a written statement, Schimel said he was “humbled and deeply honored” to receive Trump’s endorsement.
“The stakes of this race could not be any higher,” Schimel wrote. “On April 1, Wisconsin conservatives must unite to restore objectivity to our Supreme Court and save our state like we saved our country in November.”
Crawford’s campaign issued a statement calling Schimel a “corrupt politician.”
“Schimel has spent his entire career on bent knee to right-wing special interests, we assumed he had this endorsement locked up months ago,” said Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. “Wisconsinites will reject Brad Schimel once again on April 1st.”
Candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court Brad Schimel, right, and Susan Crawford, left, participate in a debate Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Mobilizing partisan voters key in officially nonpartisan race
For both Schimel and Crawford, a main key to success in the April election is turnout.
Even the highest-stakes Supreme Court elections in April draw far fewer voters than presidential elections in November. For example, about 1.8 million people voted in Wisconsin’s 2023 Supreme Court election, which grabbed national attention and flipped the ideological balance of the court. That’s still only about 53 percent of the 3.4 million people who turned out in November 2024.
To combat this, Schimel and his Republican allies have been canvassing the state in hopes of getting Trump voters — who are less likely to vote when the president is not on the ballot — to show up for Schimel on April 1.
Trump’s endorsement could also benefit Crawford, however. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has already been busy labeling Schimel as a “loyal foot soldier” for the president. Democrats also launched a statewide “People v. Musk” town hall tour aimed at capitalizing on liberals’ anger about Elon Musk’s role initiating federal funding cuts and mass layoffs.
It’s been five years since Trump endorsed a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate. In 2020, the president threw his support behind former conservative Justice Dan Kelly. That April, Kelly lost to now-Justice Jill Karofsky by nearly 11 percentage points.
When Kelly ran and lost again by a similar margin to now-Justice Janet Protasiewicz in April 2023, he distanced himself from Trump, who called Kelly a “foolish” man for not seeking his endorsement.
Trump endorses Brad Schimel in closing days of Wisconsin Supreme Court race was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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The headline says all that voters need to know. Throw in the fact that co-president Leon Mush has spent his own money to get Schimel elected is just icing on the cake. Wisconsin cannot abide, tolerate nor endure a 10 year term with a Frump/Mush stooge on our state Supreme Court.
Talk to your families and friends, and let them know the importance of this election. Turnout for Susan Crawford is imperative.
if you thought you should vote for schimel , this endorsement should tell you exactly why you shouldn’t. a lot of shoulds in that sentence so i’ll amend it to say. don’t vote for schimel because he is endorsed by a felon who threatens women and governors.