威斯康辛州最高法院选举的投票已经结束，这可能会成为美国人在这一点上的感受的晴雨表唐纳德·特朗普总统的第二个任期.
共和党支持的沃克夏县法官布拉德·施梅尔和民主党支持的戴恩县法官苏珊·克劳福德是周二的候选人州最高法院竞选这在技术上是无党派的，但它已经成为一场政治风暴的中心，也是与科技亿万富翁和特朗普主要顾问埃隆·马斯克(Elon Musk)有关的团体花费数百万美元的目标。
美国广播公司下属的WISN周二晚上报道说，密尔沃基的选举官员说，由于“历史性的投票率”，该市一些投票站出现了选票短缺，但选民应该排队，工作人员正在努力向受影响的投票站提供资源。
Schimel说他在周二早上在Genesee投票后感觉很有信心。
“我认为我们会成功的。我不敢相信我们在竞选中看到的能量。我从没见过这样的。我们参加的每一次集会，每一次活动，人们都非常激动。他们成群结队地出来……我们将赢得这场官司，并期待着恢复威斯康星州最高法院的客观性，就像我一直承诺的那样。”
在麦迪逊投票后，克劳福德告诉记者，她觉得对这场比赛的纯粹关注是其重要性的标志，马斯克的参与是“不民主的”。
“我认为，人们对这场比赛的兴趣只是一个迹象，表明我们的法院现在有多么重要，”她说。
当被问及如果马斯克的努力奏效将意味着什么时，克劳福德说，“嗯，我认为这对民主来说将是悲伤的一天……但我很有信心，选民们会看穿这些策略，我们会有成功的一天。”
此次选举将决定，竞争接替即将退休的安·沃尔什·布拉德利大法官的候选人，将有助于确定最高法院的意识形态倾向，目前倾向于自由派。
“这就像是一场总统式的选举。你打开电视，威斯康星州的任何一个地方广播电台，你都会被政治类型的广告淹没，从技术上讲，这是一场无党派的司法竞赛，但这是一场全面的政治竞赛……这正成为特朗普政府第一个100天的真正试金石，”密尔沃基ABC子公司WISN-TV的政治主任马特·史密斯上周告诉ABC新闻直播主播黛安·马塞多。
独立选民埃里克·萨姆斯(Eric Sams)在11月投票支持特朗普，但表示他投票支持克劳福德。
“我认为妇女权利是个问题。就连特朗普都说这是国家问题。如果你要让它成为一个州的问题，那么我们的州需要让妇女能够获得生育权，”萨姆斯说。
德韦恩·赫斯(Dwayne Heulse)也投票支持特朗普，但表示总统支持希梅尔并不重要。
“我不在乎特朗普支持谁，”他说。“我会追求我认为最好的人，这是我首先考虑的。他可以支持月球上的人，但我不会投他的票，除非我觉得这是一个将要达到我想要的品质的人，特别是作为一名法官。”
周二被问及全国对这场比赛的关注时，Schimel说:“如果你在六个月前告诉我这将会发生什么，我我不会相信。但我们在这里，你知道，你只需要保持低调。我一直在为威斯康星州的选民竞选，这是一场——我已经跑了72个县的竞选。”
这场比赛的获胜者将加入法官席，因为法院可能会努力解决关键的选民问题，如堕胎权和重划选区。例如，威斯康星州最高法院有一个关于威斯康星州宪法是否保护堕胎权的案件，法院可能会在新法官就职后考虑这一问题。
这场比赛还可能预演特朗普第二个任期几个月来在战场州的选民的感受——特别是因为马斯克和他通过政府效率部与联邦政府合作考虑到他的团队在竞选中的投资，这成为一个关键问题。
马斯克继续推动威斯康星州选举的重要性，因为潜在的重划选区案件可能会影响众议院的权力平衡。他向福克斯新闻频道声称，如果保守派候选人失败，共和党人可能会失去众议院的多数席位，因为威斯康星州的国会选区将被重新划分，但没有提供证据。
“今晚的选举如此重要的原因是法官竞选将决定威斯康辛州的选区是否会被重新划分。他们试图重新划分威斯康辛州，取消两个共和党席位。正如你所知，众议院目前是共和党人的微弱优势，这意味着输掉这场法官竞选很有可能导致共和党人失去对众议院的控制，”马斯克说。
然而，当选的大法官不会就职，也不会下令重划选区。如果这个问题出现在法院的案件中，法院可以重新访问国会选区。
“这就是为什么它如此重要，无论哪个政党控制了众议院，在很大程度上，都控制了这个国家，这个国家将引领西方文明的进程，”马斯克在一次会议上说引人注目的市政厅周日在格林湾。
周日，这位科技亿万富翁也引起了争议送出两张100万美元的支票这是他最近一次支持Schimel的努力。
共和党支持的候选人Schimel是前州检察长，也是Waukesha县巡回法院的法官。截至周一，他已经从与马斯克有关的团体那里获得了近2000万美元的支持(如电视广告支出)，根据布伦南司法中心的统计.
希梅尔还获得了特朗普、马斯克、小唐纳德·特朗普和其他关键保守派人物的支持。
希梅尔对保守派的支持表示欢迎，但他在上周的一次集会上表示，他将公平对待任何案件，包括特朗普提起的案件。
然而，克劳福德和她的盟友声称，他不会公平对待涉及特朗普或马斯克的案件，她已经把马斯克作为她的竞选活动的主要目标。
斯基梅尔周四问道由中航WISN分公司提供在比赛的最后几天，他分享了他的结束语，他说，“我的结束语是，人们需要认真对待这场比赛。这关系到很多事情。我们现在必须恢复法庭的客观性...我们必须让法院回到它不制定法律的适当位置。它没有经过政治议程。它是按照立法机关的写法，将法律应用于案件的事实。”
得到民主党支持的克劳福德是戴恩县巡回法院的法官，也是一名前私人律师。有时，她代表民主联盟的团体，如计划生育，一个支持堕胎的组织。
伊利诺伊州州长JB Pritzker和民主党捐赠者George Soros等主要自由派捐赠者都给了威斯康星州民主党钱，该州也给克劳福德捐了200万美元。国家民主党也投入了竞选。她也得到了前总统巴拉克·欧巴马和前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯的支持。
克劳馥告诉WISN她的结束语是关于一个公正的法院:“这是关于确保我们有一个公平公正的最高法院来解释我们的法律，以保护威斯康辛人的权利。另一个选择是极端的党派人士，他们向特殊利益集团出卖自己，长期以来一直这么做，现在已经把自己和埃隆·马斯克绑在了一起。”
据布伦南司法中心称，截至周一，超过9000万美元已经花在比赛上了这是美国历史上最昂贵的司法选举。这一数额包括席梅尔或支持他的团体花费的4900多万美元，以及克劳福德或支持她的团体花费的4000多万美元。
该非营利组织表示，州最高法院竞选支出的前一项纪录是在威斯康星州2023年的州最高法院选举中，当时支出了5600万美元。
选民们注意到了这一点。一位提前投票的威斯康辛人告诉WISN，“我们州有很多外来资金。我想确保代表的是我的声音，而不是其他人。”
据威斯康辛州统计，截至周一，威斯康辛州约有644，000人亲自或通过邮件提前投票选举佣金。
威斯康辛州也将投票表决是否将要求照片身份证投票纳入州宪法。州法律已经要求选民身份证;将它写入州宪法不会建立新的要求，但可能会使废除这项法律变得更加困难。
民主团体和投票权组织批评投票提案可能会剥夺选民的权利。该倡议的支持者认为，这将加强威斯康星州的选举安全，并巩固已经到位的要求。
马奎特大学法学院的民意调查拍摄于二月下旬还发现，威斯康星州的大多数注册选民支持照片身份证投票，另外，威斯康星州的大多数注册选民表示，他们将支持投票倡议。
Polls close in Wisconsin Supreme Court race with record funding
Polls have closed in Wisconsin in a hot-button Supreme Court race that could offer a barometer on how Americans are feeling at this point inPresident Donald Trump's second term.
Republican-backed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and Democratic-backed Dane County Judge Susan Crawford are the candidates in Tuesday's marqueestate Supreme Court race, which is technically nonpartisan -- but it has become the center of a political firestorm, as well as the target of millions spent by groups linked to tech billionaire and key Trump adviser Elon Musk.
ABC affiliate WISN reported Tuesday evening that election officials in Milwaukee said there are ballot shortages at some polling sites in the city because of "historic turnout," but that voters should stay in line and that staff are working on getting resources to the impacted polling places.
Schimel said he was feeling confident after voting in Genesee on Tuesday morning.
“I think we're going to be successful. I can't believe the energy we've seen on the campaign trail. I've never seen it like this. Every rally, every event we go, the people are so excited. They're turning out in droves… We're going to win this, and, looking forward to restoring objectivity to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, like I've promised all along.”
After voting in Madison, Crawford told reporters she feels the sheer attention on the race was a sign of its importance, and that Musk’s involvement has been “undemocratic”.
"I think that the interest in the race is just a sign of how important our courts are right now,” she said.
Asked what it would mean if Musk’s efforts worked, Crawford said, “Well, I think it'll be a sad day for democracy… but I'm pretty confident that voters are going to see through those tactics, and that we will have a successful day.”
The election will determine which of the candidates, vying to replace retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, will help determine the ideological bent of the court, which currently leans liberal.
"This is playing out like a presidential-style election. You turn on your TV, any local broadcast station here across the state of Wisconsin, you are inundated with political-type ads for what is technically a nonpartisan judicial race, but this is a full-on political race … this is becoming a true litmus test for the first 100 days of the Trump administration," Matt Smith, political director at Milwaukee's ABC affiliate WISN-TV, told ABC News Live anchor Diane Macedo last week.
Independent voter Eric Sams voted for Trump in November but said he voted for Crawford.
"I believe that women's rights are issues. Even Trump says it's a state issue. If you're going to make it a state issue, then our state needs to have access for women to be able to have access to reproductive rights," Sams said.
Dwayne Heulse also voted for Trump, but said the president's endorsement of Schimel didn't matter.
"I don't care who Trump supports," he said. "I will go after the guy who I think is the best, and that's what I look at first. He can support the man on the moon, but I'm not going to vote for him unless I feel that this is a person who is going to meet the qualities I want, especially as a judge."
Asked Tuesday about the national attention on the race, Schimel said, “If you told me six months ago that this was what was going to be happening, I I would not have believed it. But here we are, and you know, you just have to keep your head down. I've been running for Wisconsin voters, it's been a -- I've run a 72-county race.”
The winner of this race will join the bench as the court potentially grapples with key voter issues such as abortion access and redistricting. For example, there is a Wisconsin Supreme Court case regarding if the Wisconsin Constitution protects the right to an abortion, which the court might consider after the new justice is seated.
The race could also preview how voters in the battleground state feel a few months into Trump's second term -- especially asMusk and his work with the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiencybecomes a key issue given his groups' investments in the race.
Musk continued to push the idea that the Wisconsin election matters because of how potential redistricting cases could impact the balance of power in the House of Representatives. He claimed to Fox News without offering proof that if the conservative candidate loses, Republicans could lose their majority in the House because Wisconsin's congressional districts would be redrawn.
"Well, the reason tonight's elections are so important is that the judge race will decide whether the Wisconsin district, districts get redrawn. They're kind of trying to gerrymander Wisconsin to remove two Republican seats. And as you know, the -- the House is currently Republican by a razor thin margin, which means that losing this judge race has good chance of causing Republicans to lose control of the House," Musk said.
The justice elected won’t take office and order districts to be redrawn, however. The court could revisit congressional districts if the issue comes before the court in a case.
"That is why it is so significant, and whichever party controls the House, to a significant degree, controls the country which then steers the course of Western civilization," Musk said at ahigh-profile town hallon Sunday in Green Bay.
On Sunday, the tech billionaire also controversiallygave away two $1 million checksto attendees at a rally in his latest effort to support Schimel.
Schimel, the candidate backed by Republicans, is a former state attorney general and a circuit court judge in Waukesha County. He has received almost $20 million in support (such as spending for TV ads) as of Monday from groups linked to Musk,per a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Schimel has also received endorsements from Trump, Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and other key conservative figures.
Schimel has welcomed the conservative support, yet said at a rally last week that he would treat any case fairly, including if it was a case brought by Trump.
However, Crawford and her allies have alleged he would not treat cases involving Trump or Musk fairly, and she has made Musk a main target of her campaign.
Schimel, asked on Thursdayby ABC affiliate WISNto share his closing argument ahead of the final days in the race, said, "My closing argument is that people need to take this race seriously. So much is at stake. We have to restore objectivity to this court right now ... We have to put the court back in its proper role where it's not making the law. It's not going through a political agenda. It is applying the law the way the legislature writes it, to the facts of the case."
Crawford, backed by Democrats, is a Dane County circuit court judge and a former private attorney. At points, she represented Democratic-aligned groups such as Planned Parenthood, an organization supporting abortion access.
Major liberal donors such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic donor George Soros have given money to the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and the state party has donated $2 million to Crawford. The national Democratic Party has also invested in the race. She also has the endorsements of former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Crawfordtold WISNthat her closing argument was about an impartial court: "It's about making sure that we have a Supreme Court that is fair and impartial in interpreting our laws to protect the rights of Wisconsinites. The other choice is an extreme partisan, someone who is selling out to special interests, has a long history of doing that, and has now tied himself to Elon Musk."
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, as of Monday, more than $90 millionhas been spent in the race-- making it the most expensive judicial election in the nation's history. That amount includes more than $49 million spent by Schimel or groups supporting him, and more than $40 million spent by Crawford or groups supporting her.
The nonprofit says that the previous record for spending in a state supreme court race was in Wisconsin's 2023 state supreme court election, when $56 million was spent.
Voters have taken notice. One Wisconsinite who voted early told WISN, "There's a lot of outside money coming in, in our state. And I wanted to make sure that my voice is being represented and not other people."
As of Monday, around 644,000 people in Wisconsin have voted early in person or by mail, according to the WisconsinElectionsCommission.
Wisconsin will also vote on a ballot initiative over whether to enshrine requiring a photo ID to vote into the state constitution. Voter ID is already required by state law; enshrining it into the state constitution would not establish new requirements, but would likely make it harder to ever undo the law.
Democratic groups and voting rights organizations have criticized the ballot initiative as potentially disenfranchising voters. Supporters of the initiative argue it will strengthen election security in Wisconsin and is cementing a requirement that has already been in place.
A Marquette University Law School polltaken in late Februaryalso found that a majority of registered voters in Wisconsin support photo ID for voting, and separately, a majority of registered voters in Wisconsin said they would support the ballot initiative.
