The next visitor publish was written for Every day Kos by Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Occasion of Wisconsin.
Justice-elect Susan Crawford’s victory on Tuesday over Brad Schimel, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump might mark a sea change in American politics.
Crawford’s victory astonished the nation and the world—not simply because she gained after being outspent by a marketing campaign fueled by the world’s richest man, however as a result of she did so by a double-digit margin within the brightest purple state in America.
The margin of victory in each the presidential and Senate races in 2024 was beneath 1 share level. Crawford gained by 10%. Relative to the 2024 presidential race, each single county in Wisconsin moved left.
This was not the consequence merely of GOP weak point. Fairly the other: Schimel turned out so many citizens—1,063,244—that if he’d been operating in 2023 (when Janet Protasiewicz gained by an analogous double-digit margin), he would have gained. He beat his personal vote objective. In reality, Schimel drew extra votes than any Supreme Courtroom candidate in Wisconsin historical past—aside from Crawford.
However Crawford is in a league of her personal.
Her complete vote depend—1,301,128—not solely put her head and shoulders over Schimel’s Supreme Courtroom marketing campaign, it was greater than Schimel’s vote complete in every of his midterm campaigns for Wisconsin lawyer normal.
It’s almost unparalleled for a spring election to generate greater turnout than a November midterm. However Crawford drew extra votes within the spring of 2025 than any Republican candidate for governor in a November election in Wisconsin historical past.
How did this occur?
First, Crawford ran a spectacular, primarily flawless marketing campaign. She was an outstanding candidate supported by record-breaking fundraising, an excellent staff, deep assist from the Democratic Occasion, and a slew of allies dedicated to year-round, every-zip-code organizing and on-point communications. Nice candidates, campaigns, organizing, and messaging matter.
The Crawford marketing campaign neutralized GOP assaults on crime by means of blistering offense and credible protection on public security; united Democrats persuaded Republicans and break up off a few of them by means of an intensive offense on abortion; and turned Musk’s involvement right into a distinction on candidate character: Crawford’s integrity in opposition to Schimel’s corruption.
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Second, Musk’s private intervention was completely radioactive. His try to bribe Wisconsin voters was profoundly insulting, to not point out unlawful. However this insult was made one thousand instances worse as a result of it added to harm. Voters knew that Musk was taking a chainsaw to their nation with one hand—whereas dangling $100 payments with the opposite.
And third, the voters is enraged. Infuriated by the Trump-Musk administration’s ongoing assault on Social Safety, the Veterans Administration, the rule of legislation, and democracy itself—and so many different issues—voters are searching for each potential approach to battle again. On Tuesday, they channeled their rage into the poll field. They’ll achieve this once more. The backlash has begun. It’s solely going to get extra intense.
The explosive turnout for Crawford was concurrently an affirmation of her management—she embodies precisely the type of integrity and public service that Musk has been making an attempt to purge from our authorities—and likewise a collective primal scream that Wisconsin has had sufficient.
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Enormous due to Crawford, her marketing campaign staff, and all of the allies, companions, and volunteers in Wisconsin and throughout the nation who poured their hearts and souls into this battle. We did it.
This can be a darkish second for our nation. However Wisconsin voters lit a candle within the darkness. That flame of hope has already begun to unfold like wildfire.
Each Republican now has to resolve whether or not to lash themselves to Musk and Trump, now figuring out that his fortune can’t save their political careers. And each Democrat and each good friend of democracy can take coronary heart: we have now not but collapsed into oligarchy. If we hold bringing the dedication, technique, and power to every battle that we dropped at the Wisconsin Supreme Courtroom race, the American experiment can but survive.
