WAUKESHA, Wisconsin — During a recent campaign stop in Waukesha, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel warmed up the crowd by doing his best President Donald Trump impression.
It was a retelling of the call he had received from the president just a few days earlier.
“Hello Brad, it’s your favorite president calling,” Schimel said in a raspy Trump voice.
“We had a great chat,” Schimel told the supporters who had gathered at Tuscan Hall Venue & Catering. “He wanted to know from me, ‘How do you feel about activist judges?’ I said the only reason I am in this race is to take the power away from activist judges.”
Trump then asked if Schimel would “follow the law,” and after assuring the president he would, was given a full endorsement.
Then, the president said, “Talk to Elon [Musk],” and handed the phone to the billionaire tech investor.
“I don’t think Elon was expecting to get the phone, either, so we were both kind of surprised,” Schimel said, before being passed on to a third person, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Schimel told the story as though he were gobsmacked the president of the United States would call him to talk about a state court race. But he did, and ever since, Schimel has been riding on a high.
His campaign’s momentum has exploded with thousands of canvassers, from Musk’s America PAC to conservative influencer Scott Pressler, to the well-coordinated Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin showing up in the state to campaign for Schimel. Together, the groups have knocked on more than a million doors, called nearly every Wisconsinite, sent out mailers, and provided enough money and attention to transform a once-lopsided race into a true toss-up.
Schimel, a conservative, is running for a highly coveted Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. His opponent is Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. A win for Schimel would flip the court’s current 4-3 majority. The court’s makeup could have major implications for the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race.
The April 1 election is Trump’s first true test with swing state voters and a referendum on his and Musk’s policies, which have included mass firings and a restructuring of the federal government.
Wisconsin Democrats have tried to tie Trump, Musk, and Schimel together, but it may have backfired.
Republicans have recast the state race as a chance for Trump’s base to come out and show their loyalty to him and push back against judges Trump claims treat him and his administration unfairly. If Republicans, with Trump and Musk’s help, can get 60% of his base to the polls in Tuesday’s election, Schimel could pull off the win. It would be an extraordinary accomplishment, given that Schimel started the race behind in the polls and has run as the underdog.
“We may yet look back and see this as a spectacular political ‘own goal’ in which the Crawford campaign and the Democrats have supported and adopted a strategy that has played directly into the hands of Schimel and conservatives,” Howard Schweber, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the Washington Examiner. “I think this was a very successful strategy on the part of the Republicans — the national Republicans … The mistake on the part of the Democrats was to lean into it and treat it as an opportunity rather than a danger.”
Schimel’s loyalty to Trump goes back nearly a decade and has clearly paid off for him this election cycle.
His support was first on display back in October 2016 during the infamous “Access Hollywood” scandal in which Trump bragged on tape about grabbing women by the genitals. The day after the story broke, Wisconsin Republicans held a rally in the small town of Elkhorn, about 40 miles southwest of Milwaukee. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was “sickened” by Trump’s comments and vowed to no longer campaign alongside him. Former Gov. Scott Walker called Trump’s remarks “inexcusable,” while Sen. Ron Johnson referred to them as “indefensible.”
When Schimel took the stage, he did something different. He didn’t add to the pile-on.
“I’m the father of two daughters,” he said. “My daughters look up to me, and I don’t like hearing anyone talk that way about women. But Donald Trump will appoint judges who will defend our Constitution and respect our Constitution.”
In addition to giving Schimel his full endorsement, Trump also held a tele-rally for him on Thursday and, on Sunday night, escalated his rhetoric against Crawford on Truth Social. Trump called Crawford a “DISASTER” who is “so Far Left that even her own Party, the Radical Democrats, don’t want ANYTHING to do with her.”
He also called her a “Liberal Lunatic who will throw our Country, and the State of Wisconsin, into TOTAL CHAOS,” ending his post by urging Wisconsin voters to cast their ballot for Schimel, whom he touted as “Conservative, Strong and, above all, SANE.”
Regardless of how Trump may be viewed in other parts of the country, he has strong support among conservatives in the battleground state. If a majority of his base comes out to vote for Schimel, they could likely tip the scales and send Crawford packing.
During a campaign stop on Sunday, Schimel wore a Make America Great Again hat.
At the Tuscan Hall event, the Republican Women of Waukesha County set up a booth by the door where they sold Trump merchandise.
Schimel has also leaned into Musk’s support but maintains his vote can’t be bought.
“They don’t want me to bend my knee to anything,” he told the Washington Examiner. “They want me to follow the law so they can do what they do in the executive branch, and as judges, we don’t interfere with it.”
Musk has dropped over $20 million to back Schimel, making him the single largest spender in a race. America PAC has spent over $6.6 million on the election, something Crawford’s camp continues to call him out on.
Schimel told the Washington Examiner that Crawford was a hypocrite to blast him for accepting Musk’s money when she has taken millions from liberal mega-donors George Soros and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
“George Soros? That money is ok?” he said. “Or, how about four out of every five donors of hers don’t live in Wisconsin? Give me a break! But I have all the dirty money?”
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RACE TO TEST ABORTION’S ELECTORAL POWER
For now, Schimel said he’s battle-ready and not slowing down any time soon.
“We have got the energy. We have got the momentum. We are going to get this thing done,” he said. “We have to, right? We have to. It was something I had never planned to do but it’s the thing that I’ve worked hardest at my whole life.”
