Trump suffers setback as democrat Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin supreme court despite Musk's millions

Donald Trump's second term in the White House suffered a significant setback on Tuesday (Apr 1) as voters in Wisconsin rejected his preferred candidate for the state's Supreme Court. This pivotal voter decision comes despite Trump's billionaire advisor Elon Musk pouring millions to sway the election race.

Liberal judge Susan Crawford has defeated Trump-backed Brad Schimel, suggest US media projections.

Even as Trump secured two easy wins in Republican-held congressional districts in Florida, the Wisconsin judicial race marked the first major electoral test of his polarising presidency—and the results did not go his way.

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Elon Musk's money did nothing

Leading up to the election, Trump had aggressively campaigned for Schimel, branding him a "Patriot" while attacking Crawford as a "Radical Left Liberal" who would be a "DISASTER" for Wisconsin's judiciary.

In his social media tirades, Trump even accused Crawford of "letting child molesters and rapists off".

Not only that, world's richest man Elon Musk personally campaigned in Wisconsin. On X, he framed the race as pivotal to the "fate of Western civilization."

"It's like one of those strange situations where a seemingly small election would determine the fate of Western civilization here," said Musk on Tuesday.

Taking a page out of his presidential election playbook, he also offered money to anyone willing to sign a petition against so-called "activist judges."

The race saw Musk hand over checks of $1 million each to two voters and $100 each to others who signed his petition. Despite that, Crawford won.

Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders, on X, called on supporters to "REJECT Musk and the oligarchy buying our elections."

Why were Wisconsin Supreme Court elections important?

The Wisconsin Supreme Court plays a crucial role in state politics. Beyond merely testing the voter mood, it will also decide whether the state's top court - whose decisions impact voting district boundaries and election laws-tilts left or right.

The race shattered spending records for a judicial contest, with Trump candidate Schimel's campaign and allies pouring in over $53 million into the election. of this, $12 million came from Musk's America PAC.

On the other hand, Crawford and her supporters spent about $45 million.

Florida GOP strongholds hold

In contrast to the Wisconsin upset, two Trump backed candidates won a Florida special election to fill US House seats.

Republican Randy Fine won Florida's sixth district, while Jimmy Patronis claimed victory in Florida's first district.

Trump took credit for both wins, boasting that his endorsement once again proved "far greater than the Democrats' forces of evil."

(With inputs from agencies)