The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years.

Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, beat conservative challenger Judge Brad Schimel in a contest that shattered spending records and turned a state race into a referendum on President Donald Trump.

It's only been five months since voters in Wisconsin faced a bitterly fought election, but residents of the US state are already heading back to the polls.

This time, Elon Musk looms large in the race to fill a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, even if the billionaire's name doesn't appear on the ballot.

It's the most expensive judicial contest in US history, with more than $90m (£70m) spent so far, including $20m from Musk and groups affiliated with him.

The Elon Musk–founded America PAC has spent at least $11.5 million on the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, WisPolitics reported March 24. AllSides highlights content from Gigafact, a network of newsrooms that respond to online claims. View the full fact brief on Wisconsin Watch.

Angela Lang is about to send her canvassing teams door knocking. But first, a moment to outline the stakes:

“Fair maps, abortion, voting rights,” is Lang’s list. “It’s not a seat we can afford to lose because if Republicans and conservatives gain control of the court, that’s Elon Musk and that’s a through line to the Trump agenda.”

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel has said he supports presidents using pardons, but that violent rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, should not have been pardoned. AllSides highlights content from Gigafact, a network of newsrooms that respond to online claims. View the full fact brief on Wisconsin Watch.

As Wisconsin’s attorney general, Brad Schimel helped lead a 20-state lawsuit that sought to overturn the Affordable Care Act. AllSides highlights content from Gigafact, a network of newsrooms that respond to online claims. View the full fact brief on Wisconsin Watch.

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a redistricting case they hope will weaken GOP majorities.

The ruling comes less than a year before the 2024 election in a battleground state where four of the six past presidential elections have been decided by fewer than 23,000 votes, and Republicans have built large majorities in the Legislature under maps they drew over a decade ago.

Progressive activists now have the opportunity to reshape Wisconsin law on a wide array of matters.

On Tuesday, progressive Milwaukee judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative candidate Dan Kelly by eleven points in Wisconsin’s supreme-court election, handing progressive activists a 4–3 majority on the court and the opportunity to reshape Wisconsin law on a wide array of matters, from abortion to redistricting to public-sector unions.

A conservative and a liberal will face off in April’s election for a seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, a contest that will determine the ideological balance of the court and could change the political trajectory of the crucial swing state.