Why George Soros and Democrats have gone all-in on this week’s Wisconsin court race

All eyes are on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, where liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority. On Tuesday, voters will choose between a conservative judge, Brad Schimel, and a liberal judge, Susan Crawford, to fill a vacancy and possibly flip the court to conservative control.

What difference does it make? A lot — and not just in Wisconsin.

If liberals retain control, it is likely that the court will unwind the public sector union reforms enacted when Scott Walker was Governor, something high on labor unions’ wish list for the past decade. Issues such as abortion are also on the agenda. 

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel respond to questions from WISN 12 Political Director Matt Smith during the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court Debate. via REUTERS

Voters gave Republicans an 18-15 majority in the Wisconsin State Senate and a 54-45 majority in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Yet a liberal Supreme Court bench would spell disaster for any Republican initiatives.

But there’s a lot more at stake than Wisconsin politics. 

Early big money backers of Crawford, like George Soros and Reid Hoffman, recognized the potential of using the court to regain control of the U.S. House and stop Trump’s legislative agenda in its tracks. That’s because the Wisconsin Supreme Court will be ruling on challenges to congressional districts, where Republicans hold six of the eight seats. 

Redistricting could net Democrats two extra seats, and control of congress. Crawford supporters even put out a campaign email touting the election as a “chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026” Democrats know what is at stake.

So this state court election is about control of the nation, not just Wisconsin.

Soros saw an early opportunity, and donated $1 million directly to Crawford’s campaign before the race received its current publicity, plus his network has raised far more. 

Soros donated $1 million directly to Crawford’s campaign before the race received its current publicity. AP

This is a classic Soros tactic to identify an election that few people are paying attention to but which identifies a weakness in society that can be exploited for other purposes. 

Remember Soros funded the election of soft-on-crime prosecutors around the country who’ve destroyed many large cities to advance the left-wing agenda. Soros even donated to a group backing New York City’s own Alvin Bragg who did the left’s dirty work in prosecuting Donald Trump.

Crawford’s campaign has raised a record-breaking $24 million to date. And that doesn’t include PAC money. Now Republicans are waking up and pushing back.

Elon Musk has responded by donating $3 million to Schimel’s campaign and an estimated $16 million through various other channels. In total, Republicans have matched Democrats’ fundraising, but the question is whether it is too late.

Where Democrats have lost at legislative elections, they try to remedy through the judiciary. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who not long ago was Majority Leader, recently bragged that Democrats installed 235 “progressive” federal judges who have been “ruling against Trump time, after time, after time.”

By installing activist judges Democrats are manipulating the judiciary for their own purposes, and the Wisconsin court election is just another example.

Democrats are actively subverting the electorate, bypassing the will of the voters in order to push through the same agendas that cost them control in the last elections. And they’ve been successful in doing so.

Let’s hope this time will be different. Republicans and conservative voters cannot sit this one out. This election is not just about the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It’s about all of us. 

William A. Jacobson is a clinical professor of law at Cornell University and founder of the Equal Protection Project and CriticalRace.org, where Kemberlee Kaye is operations and editorial director.