Madison, wis. (AP)-President Donald Trump’s pre-supported candidate for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court and his Democrary-supported Challenger made a final blitz in the state on Monday, the day before the vote ended in a race in which early turnout has jumped and costs approaching $ 100 million.
The billionaire Elon Musk, a top Trump advisor, held a rally at Green Bay on Sunday night to insist on the election of Brad Shimel, a Judge of the Wokesha County and a former Prosecutor of Republican General. He faces Susan Crawford, a Judge of Dine County and a former lawyer who is fighting for abortion rights and for protecting the Union’s power.
Currently, the liberals have 4-3 advantages on the court, but retirement of liberal justice this year has put an ideological balance in play. A Battleground WisConsin court is expected to rule on abortion rights, congress redistribution regulations, power and vote rules in the coming years.
On Sunday, the last day of early voting, at least 644,800 people have launched ballots based on Monday by an election committee in Wisconsin. This number will rise as some municipalities report additional ballots collected over the weekend.
As it is now, the early voting issues were 57% higher, or about 235,000 ballots higher than 409 755 early ballots counted the day before the last election of the Supreme Court in 2023.
“I believe we get energy and motivate people,” Shimel said after his first campaign stop on Monday in Madison.
Trump and the Republicans put more emphasis on the early vote this year, which led to spikes in more conservative cities. Its number was also higher in the democratic parts of the state.
Former Republican governor Scott Walker, who is campaigning with Shimel in Madison, said he did not read too much in the increase, given the pressure of GOP for early voting.
“I’m not too confident,” he said.
Voters do not register with a Wisconsin party, so it is impossible to understand how many ballots have been submitted by Republicans or Democrats.
The high -bet competition has become a proxy battle for the nation’s policy, with Crawford and Democrats trying to make it a referendum on Musk given its deep participation in the competition. He and two groups he financed have combined to spend more than $ 21 million on the competition that will determine the control of the majority over the court based on the number of the Brennan Justice Center.
Crawford has benefited from $ 2 million given to the State Democratic Party by billionaire Megadonor George Soros and $ 1.5 million from the Illinois government JB Pritzker, also a billionaire.
To date, over $ 90 million has been spent on the race, according to Brennan Center. This is almost double the previous record highest of $ 51 million for a court race set in Wisconsin in 2023, when control of the Supreme Court was also on the line.
About $ 100 million were spent on a 68 Supreme Court elections in 26 stations in 2021 and 2022 in combination, according to Brennan Center Tally.
The court competitions were low -cost, relatively steadfast competitions across the country, but in recent years there has been a great impetus to interests and expenses.
The understanding of the importance of the Supreme Court of the State as political struggles in the most hot issues for the day, such as abortion rights, play there, said Douglas Keith, a senior councilor in the Center of Brennon, has been increasing.
“This said this race is unlike anything that every other state has seen, even in this new world of judicial policy,” Keith said. “We can say confidently that this new era of judicial policy is here to stay and we will continue to see countries to break the records in their election costs.”
Both Musk and Trump, who approved Shimel, push their candidacy as a way to protect Trump’s agenda as he faces legal challenges in one of the few countries on the country’s battlefield. They also pointed out the potential that the Wisconsin Congress borderlines could be reconciled by the court to support the Democrats.
Shimel bent down strongly at Trump’s approval with television advertising, which is being held in the last days of the race, saying that the Shimel vote will protect Trump’s agenda. He was wearing a “make America great” hat while running a campaign over the weekend and posing for pictures in front of a giant inflatable Trump.
Crawford has the support of Democrats who have tried to focus the race on Musk, throwing it as a first chance for liberal voters to return against Trump’s agenda after their narrow victory in November. She plans to complete a rally campaign on Monday night in Madison, where she lives.
Musk, at his Sunday rally in Green Bay, placed the strict bets on strict conditions.
“I think this will be important for the future of civilization,” he said. “That’s important.”