A vast majority of Wisconsin voters have not heard of either candidate in the state’s Supreme Court race, but among those who have, they view the conservative candidate more favorably.
A poll from Marquette University Law School found that conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, who was previously the state attorney general, was viewed favorably by 29% of the registered voters and unfavorably by 32%. His opponent, liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford was viewed favorably by 19% of the voters, compared to 23% who viewed her unfavorably.
More people had not heard of Crawford than had not heard of Schimel, however. Many voters had no opinion of either candidate as the state is just weeks away from the April 1 election, in which voters will decide the next Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, state superintendent, and a voter ID law.
Still, 38% did not have an opinion on Schimel, and 57% said they did not have an opinion on Crawford. Among those enthusiastic and certain to vote, 42% have a favorable opinion of Schimel and 43% have an unfavorable opinion, while 33% have a favorable opinion of Crawford and 32% have an unfavorable opinion.
Wisconsin voters once again have the opportunity to tip the ideological leaning of the court. The state’s 2023 Supreme Court race was the most expensive judicial race ever, with both campaigns spending a combined $56 million. While state Supreme Court races are technically nonpartisan, the court tipped to a liberal lean after Justice Janet Protasiewicz won her seat and gave liberals their first majority on the high court in 15 years.
The poll released Wednesday did not provide a head-to-head matchup between the two candidates. Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette poll, said it was because of the high percentage of those who did not know either candidate.
Thirty-nine percent of those polled said they heard a lot about the Supreme Court race, while 42% said they had some familiarity with the race. Around 20% said they had not heard about the race, but 83% of those polled said they were aware that the race could tip the ideological leaning of the court.
Crawford is endorsed by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), all of the current liberal-leaning state Supreme Court justices, and the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Schimel has the endorsement of various police associations and sheriffs across the state and the Wisconsin GOP.
The increasingly influential Elon Musk said in January that it was “important to vote Republican” in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race but did not endorse Schimel. His America PAC additionally has poured $3.2 million in digital ads, and another group funded by Musk called Building America’s Future has spent more than $2 million on TV ads attacking Crawford.
Crawford has TV ads on her behalf paid by A Better Wisconsin Together, which has reported spending more than $2.3 million in this race.
In the next few years, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is likely to visit cases related to union rights and abortion rights. The poll found 64% of voters favor legal abortions in all or most cases, and 36% say it should be illegal in all or most cases.
Act 10, a 13-year-old Wisconsin law that sharply curtailed the bargaining rights of most public employees and eroded the power of unions, is likely to face the court. It was recently overturned by a Dane County official, who ruled that certain provisions of Act 10 were unconstitutional because it allowed certain unions, notably those representing police, firefighters, and other public safety workers, to bargain collectively with the state while removing those rights from other public employees, most notably teachers.
At the time of its passage, unions across the state erupted in protest, with union members, notably those in Wisconsin teachers unions, remaining at the Wisconsin State Capitol for weeks. The poll found that 42% of Wisconsin voters were supportive of Act 10, and 54% said the law should be struck down.
In addition to the state Supreme Court race, the April 1 ballot will also feature a voter ID question after the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a measure to place the question on the ballot. If successful, the measure would enshrine in the state constitution that ID is required to vote. Wisconsin is already one of nine states with strict voter ID requirements.
WISCONSIN VOTERS GEAR UP FOR ANOTHER HIGH-STAKES STATE SUPREME COURT RACE
The Marquette poll found that 73% of voters supported the measure and 27% opposed it. Nearly 100% of Republicans supported it, 77% of independents favored it, and 55% of Democrats opposed it.
In national politics, the poll found 48% of voters approved of President Donald Trump’s job performance and 51% disapproved. Trump won the state in 2024 by a little over 1 percentage point.
Methodology: The poll surveyed 864 registered Wisconsin voters between Feb. 19 and Feb. 26. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. The partisan makeup of the sample is 36% Republican, 32% Democratic, and 32% independent.
