When a titan of the liberal media like the New York Times (NYT) shines a light on the corruption of a liberal candidate for Supreme Court in your own back yard it puts a puny player like the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (JS) in a tough spot. That may have been the motivation for Daniel Bice, a member of the JS “watchdog team,” to report on candidate Susan Crawford’s brazen attempt to entice big Democratic donor support of her candidacy by suggesting a win might put congressional seats in play. The JS is usually a reliable advocate for the liberal agenda, withholding whatever information and telling whatever lies are necessary in the process. It was completely out of character for Bice to expose the corruption at play in the upcoming Supreme Court race but, with the NYT out in front on the story, what choice did he have?
Susan Crawford took Wisconsin judicial elections to a new low when, as a candidate for Supreme Court, she chose to participate in a major donor briefing on January 13 that was billed as “Time-sensitive: Chance to put two more seats in play for 2026”. The briefing was sponsored by Focus for Democracy, a liberal group that channels money to voter turnout efforts. The invitation recounted how the new liberal majority Supreme Court struck down Wisconsin’s legislative districts in 2023 resulting in a pickup of 14 seats in the state legislature for Democrats in 2024. It teased that …”winning this race could also result in Democrats being able to win two additional US House seats, half of the seats needed to win control of the House in 2026”. Media coverage of the event suggests that the seats being referred to are those currently held by Republicans Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden. Following the redistricting mandate handed down by the Supreme Court in 2023, emboldened Democrats tried to get the Supreme Court to revisit Wisconsin’s congressional districting. The Court declined but there is little doubt they will address the issue if they can secure a liberal majority with a Crawford win until 2028, the next opportunity to tip the majority back to conservative.
Historically, candidates for the state Supreme Court go to great lengths to reassure voters that they will rule on the cases that come before them with no political bias. Crawford isn’t even pretending that will be the case. Reporting in both the NYT and JS pointed out that Crawford’s claims of impartiality fly in the face of receiving $1 million from the state Democratic Party and the January 13 donor briefing which had ties to Reid Hoffman, a billionaire Democratic donor who has given more than $14.5 million to the state Democratic Party.
Elections have become an embarrassing obscenity on both sides of the aisle. Millions are poured into races from outside interests seeking to control the political direction of the entire country; candidates are shamelessly smeared with bald-faced lies; and winning by cheating is real and happens wherever systems allow it.
The April 1 election for Supreme Court is both an opportunity to regain conservative control of the court and a threat to freedom. The obstacles are significant. In 2023 when the election of Janet Protasiewicz flipped the Court to a liberal majority, $51 million was spent on the race. With outside money pouring in, it is anticipated that spending on this year’s election will exceed the 2023 record. The ads being aired are nasty and deceitful. Wisconsin’s election system remains vulnerable to cheating and voter turnout for spring elections is typically low – less than half of a general election.
Freedom-loving Wisconsinites maintain control of our most powerful weapon: massive voter turnout. Brad Schimel, conservative candidate for Supreme Court and Susan Crawford, liberal candidate for Supreme Court both have records. We know who they are. Schimel will not waver from his commitment to adhering to the written law and to the Constitution in every judicial decision. Crawford will join her fellow activist judges to legislate from the bench, casting aside the law as written in favor of what they believe the law should be. Crawford has a long record of activism for the most extreme liberal positions. She has shown herself willing to stoop to new lows by suggesting to potential donors they will be rewarded with a favorable redrawing Wisconsin’s congressional districts.
Let’s get out the vote on April 1 to elect Brad Schimel to the Supreme Court. Wisconsin is not for sale.
