Brad Schimel Election Results: Reaction from His Election Party

A crowd filled with hope and optimism enjoying a live performance by Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Brad Schimel and his band, 4 on the Floor, at the Milwaukee Marriott West Hotel Ballroom, was quickly left in dismay and disappointment after Schimel conceded the election exactly 80 minutes after the polls closed.

With the majority of the Wisconsin State Supreme Court at stake, the election between liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and conservative Waukesha County Judge and former Attorney General Brad Schimel was called by the Associated Press in a matter of 76 minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m.

“I cannot thank you enough for everything you did to try to make this a success but, it just didn’t work,” said Schimel in his concession speech. “I’ve called Judge Crawford and conceded.”

Following the conclusion of his concession speech, Schimel walked around the room, thanking supporters, meeting with them and taking pictures.

“I’m devastated,” said Carol Weymier. “I’m heartbroken. Brad Schimel is a wonderful man. He’s worked for 16 months non-stop.”

Crawford cruised to a quick victory, drawing in 55% of the vote to Schimel’s 45% with 99% of the votes counted as of April 9, according to the Associated Press.

“Thank you for trusting me to serve you on the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” said Crawford in her victory speech. “This campaign has been an incredible, life-altering experience… in so many ways. I’m so grateful to have earned the trust and support of voters across this great state.”

With Justice Ann Walsh Bradley retiring, the majority of the court was up for grabs again, like in 2023. In 2023, Janet Protasiewicz defeated Dan Kelly to give the court a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years. With decisive cases like redrawing Wisconsin’s congressional maps, abortion rights and Act 10 set to come before the state’s highest court, it only added to the already high stakes of the election.

“This election was about the resilience of the Wisconsin and American values that define and unite us,” said Gov. Tony Evers in a statement. “This election was about doing what’s best for our kids, protecting constitutional checks and balances, reaffirming our faith in the courts and the judiciary, and defending against attacks on the basic rights, freedoms, and institutions we hold dear.”

The election was the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, drawing in more than $100 million in spending. Crawford’s campaign spent over $28.3 million, and Schimel’s campaign spent $15 million, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The largest group that funded a candidate was Elon Musk’s “America PAC,” which donated roughly $12.7 million to Schimel’s campaign. The second-largest group was “A Better Wisconsin Together,” which donated over $8.3 million to Crawford’s campaign, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Elon Musk was not the only billionaire that contributed to the high-stakes election. Investor George Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker donated to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Both donations were then directed to Crawford’s campaign.

Although the involvement of Elon Musk did not influence supporters directly when casting their ballot for Schimel, it did add another aspect to voting for him.

“I think he brings a lot in what he is doing in the Trump administration, but that did not steer my vote forward,” said supporter Ann Stapleton at the party. “I knew more about Brad and what he was about prior to Elon coming to be a part of this. A total bonus.”

In what was considered a disappointing night for Wisconsin Republicans compared to President Trump’s victory in the state just 147 days before, one might ask: “What went wrong with Schimel’s campaign?”

“We have a turnout problem in this state,” said Hilario Deleon, the chair of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County. “Republicans historically have low-turnout voters when it comes to these spring elections.”

Because of the low Republican turnout, Deleon hopes to see change with Wisconsin Republicans and how they get their message out to voters in future elections.

“There will probably be, hopefully, a complete overhaul at our state party level,” said Deleon. “We’re going to focus on more grassroots outreach, more community outreach and education on how the [Republican] party works in Wisconsin.”

Despite the swing from President Trump’s victory last November to Schimel’s loss, Republicans do not believe the election was a referendum on the president’s handling of the start of his second term.

“The man has only been in office less than 100 days,” said Terry Dittrich, the RNC Committeeman for Wisconsin and Chairman of the Republican Party of Waukesha County. “He hasn’t even had a chance to have a lot of his people appointed and hasn’t had a chance to initiate a lot of his policies.”

Democrats, on the other hand, including Evers, say that the start of the president’s second term did alter the course of the election.

“For anyone who mistakenly believes actions and decisions in Washington are neither seen nor heard here in Wisconsin or states across our country, the people of Wisconsin responded tonight,” said Evers.