The Democratic Party‘s state campaign wing is putting its focus on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, hoping to counter Republican attempts to flip the key swing seat up for election in April.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that this year’s state Supreme Court elections in both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are key priorities after the Republican State Leadership Committee also made the races a key focus.
The Supreme Court race in the Badger State in the coming weeks could tip the balance of the court, which has a 4-3 liberal majority. The race between conservative Brad Schimel and liberal Susan Crawford on April 1 is to replace retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
“Democrats’ ability to win state legislative races and build power in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania hinges on the outcomes of these state supreme court races,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement.
“The DLCC has a record of success in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – from supporting state supreme court wins to building Democratic power in legislatures – and we are bringing that winning strategy into 2025,” the statement continued.
The focus on the Supreme Court elections in the pair of states put the contests on the same level as other key objectives from the group, including their bid to maintain a majority in the Virginia House of Delegates in November.
The RSLC previously outlined both races as key objectives for 2025, and the group’s Judicial Fairness Initiative launched a new television advertisement attacking Crawford on Monday as part of a $2 million investment into the race.
MUSK POURS $1 MILLION INTO HELPING CONSERVATIVE IN WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RACE
“The stakes in Wisconsin have never been higher,” RSLC-JFI President Edith Jorge-Tunon said in a statement. “If Susan Crawford wins a seat on the high court in Madison, the far-left majority will undoubtedly endorse the lenient, soft-on-crime policies that have been pushed by liberals for far too long.”
Republicans will look to avoid repeating the 2023 Supreme Court election in Wisconsin, which they lost decisively and the court flipped from a conservative majority. The 2025 race is a chance for the conservatives in the state to reverse the flip.