Former President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Brad Schimel in the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a pivotal contest that could shape the court’s ideological balance and influence key issues like abortion and election integrity in the battleground state.
Trump’s endorsement, announced late Thursday, highlights Schimel’s campaign as a critical front in the broader political struggle between conservative and progressive forces. Schimel, a former Wisconsin attorney general, is running against Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge backed by pro-abortion and leftist groups. The election, set for Tuesday, April 1, comes as the court’s 4-3 liberal majority hangs in the balance following the retirement of a conservative justice.
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“Brad Schimel is a tough, tested conservative who will defend our Constitution and stop the radical left from turning Wisconsin into a activist-run state,” Trump said in a statement released through his Save America PAC. He urged Wisconsin voters to back Schimel, framing the race as a referendum on judicial activism and Democratic policies.
Schimel, who served as attorney general from 2015 to 2019, has leaned heavily into his law-and-order credentials and his opposition to abortion. Pro-life advocates, including Wisconsin Right to Life, have rallied behind him, arguing that his election is essential to countering Crawford, whom they describe as an “abortion activist” due to her past legal work defending abortion providers.
“Wisconsin needs Brad Schimel on the Supreme Court to protect the sanctity of life,” said Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life. “Susan Crawford’s record shows she’ll push an extreme pro-abortion agenda, and we can’t let that happen.”
Posts on X have amplified the race’s stakes, with some users warning that a Schimel loss could weaken Trump’s influence in the GOP and bolster Democratic efforts to redraw congressional districts. Others note significant financial backing from liberal donors like George Soros and J.B. Pritzker pouring into Crawford’s campaign, raising concerns among conservatives about outside influence.
The winner will serve a 10-year term, potentially deciding cases on abortion , voting rights, and gerrymandering—issues that have kept Wisconsin at the center of national political debates. Early voting is underway, with both sides mobilizing supporters in a race experts say could hinge on turnout.
Schimel welcomed Trump’s endorsement, calling it a “game-changer” in a statement Friday. “With President Trump’s support, we’re sending a clear message: Wisconsin will not bow to the radical left,” he said.
