For Wisconsin liberals, upcoming Supreme Court race is first test of ‘lessons learned’

Angela Lang is about to send her canvassing teams door knocking. But first, a moment to outline the stakes:

“Fair maps, abortion, voting rights,” is Lang’s list. “It’s not a seat we can afford to lose because if Republicans and conservatives gain control of the court, that’s Elon Musk and that’s a through line to the Trump agenda.”

On paper, the April 1 election pits Susan Crawford against Brad Schimel for a vacancy on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court. Liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring, and the election will determine the court’s ideological balance. Crawford currently serves as a Dane County Circuit Court judge and is a former prosecutor and legal counsel to a past Democratic governor. Schimel is a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge and was the state’s GOP attorney general from 2015 to 2019.