Wisconsin voters cast ballots under national spotlight to decide control of the state Supreme Court

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin voters began casting ballots Tuesday in a state Supreme Court election that has become a proxy for the nation’s political battles while attracting a massive amount of spending, led by groups affiliated with Elon Musk and other billionaires.

Voters at the polls on the first day of early voting said they were motivated by the role the court will play in issues such as abortion and immigration. Some also mentioned concerns about how national money and influence could sway the outcome of a race that will determine whether the court remains under liberal control or flips to a conservative majority.

Republican-backed Brad Schimel and Democratic-supported Susan Crawford are running in the April 1 election for an open seat on a court that faces cases on abortion, public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries. Who controls the court also could factor into how it might rule on any future voting challenge in the perennial presidential battleground state — raising the stakes for national Republicans and Democrats.

Retired electrician Maggie Freespirit, 58, was among the first to vote at a polling site in downtown Madison, the heavily Democratic state capital. She said she voted for Crawford because she knows the Democratic-backed candidate will support abortion rights. But she is nervous about Crawford’s chances.

‘‘I’m still amazed at how many people are supporting what the Republicans are doing,‘’ she said.

Steve Ravely, a 72-year-old conservative voter in heavily Republican Waukesha, said the economy and immigration were the most important issues to him — and why he decided to vote for Schimel.

‘‘He’s in line with everything I believe with the border, following the Constitution,‘’ Ravely said after voting at city hall.

Ravely said he’s concerned about ‘’outside money coming into our local elections,‘’ especially from liberal megadonor George Soros.

‘‘I’m deathly afraid of Soros,‘’ he said. ‘’Why he butts his nose into our local elections is beyond me.‘’

The race is the most expensive court race on record in the U.S., with spending at $59 million, the Brennan Center for Justice said Monday based on its own tally. The amount broke the record set by the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2023 and is sure to go higher, with the election still two weeks away.

The contest has attracted more than $11 million in spending from groups backed by Musk, the world’s wealthiest person. The president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and conservative activist Charlie Kirk rallied Republican voters at an event on the eve of early voting’s start Monday night, which Schimel attended. Trump Jr. urged voters to engage in the race and said a win is imperative to protect his father’s agenda.

Billionaire Democrats, including Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, are spending to help Crawford in the race. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee last year, will be in Wisconsin on Tuesday night to host an anti-Musk town hall to encourage Democrats to vote early. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was planning an early voting event Tuesday with Black Leaders Organizing Communities, a Milwaukee group that works to get Black voters to the polls.

The group’s executive director, Angela Lang, said while national right-wing figures are parachuting into Wisconsin for this race alone, her group’s year-round presence gives it more credibility and trust with voters.

‘‘Whether there’s an election or not, we are still knocking on doors,‘’ Lang said. ‘’We actually are a part of the community that we organize. It feels like it hits a little bit different.‘’

The outside influence and vast sums being poured into the race were top of mind for many voters on Tuesday.

Ellen Gilligan, a 71-year-old Milwaukee resident and Crawford voter, expressed dismay at the amount of money from outside the state flooding into the Supreme Court contest, saying Musk’s contributions in particular ‘’could unfairly tip the scales.‘’

Eileen Anthony, 71, echoed similar concerns about Musk’s influence, both over the Wisconsin race and national politics, despite not being an elected official.

‘‘It’s just wrong,‘’ she said while waiting in line to vote in Milwaukee.

The race is seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about President Donald Trump’s chaotic first months back in office — and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers.

Republican voter Lynn Schulman said she worries about the amount of outside spending in the race, but wasn’t concerned that so much of it was coming from groups backed by Musk, who she said she respects: ‘’I just like him,‘’ said Schulman, 71, who voted in Waukesha. ‘’I think he’s cool.‘’

Crawford and her Democratic allies have tried to energize their voters by nationalizing the race and making it a referendum on Musk and Trump. Crawford referred to Musk as ‘’Elon Schimel'' in a debate last week and said the Tesla and SpaceX CEO ‘’has basically taken over Brad Schimel’s campaign.‘’

Musk’s groups began spending days after Tesla sued Wisconsin over a decision blocking it from opening dealerships in the state. That case could end up before the state Supreme Court.

Joe Schottenfeld, 35, a Crawford voter in Madison, said it seems like ‘’Schimel is bought and paid for by the Republican Party.‘’

Some Republican voters on Tuesday shared concerns that Crawford instead would politicize the court, among them 57-year-old Eau Claire resident James Stamper.

Stamper said he believed Schimel would protect free speech and gun rights, but Crawford would ‘’legislate from the bench.‘’

Schimel has said he would not be beholden to Trump or Musk, despite massive spending on the race by groups Musk supports. A group Musk founded is distributing flyers that say electing Schimel is essential to protecting Trump’s agenda.

Schimel has still welcomed a Trump endorsement in the race. He said at a Milwaukee Rotary Club meeting Tuesday that getting an endorsement from Trump ‘’could help me get my message out to voters who don’t vote in every election.‘’

On Saturday, he attended a Mega MAGA rally and posed for a picture in front of an oversized inflatable Trump with its fist raised and a ‘’Vote Brad Schimel Supreme Court'' poster on its chest.

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Associated Press journalists Mark Vancleave in Eau Claire and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.