‘Lost bigly’: Adam Kinzinger tears into Elon Musk after failed political stunt in Wisconsin

The election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court ended with a clear win for Judge Susan Crawford, which helped keep the court’s 4-3 liberal majority intact. This victory also pushed against a major financial attempt by Elon Musk and other conservative donors to change the court’s balance. The Brennan Center for Justice predicted the race to be the most expensive state supreme court election in history, with over $100 million spent.

This huge spending fueled a fierce campaign, with national implications as a measure of voter feelings in a key swing state. The election featured Crawford, a circuit court judge from Dane County, running against Brad Schimel, a judge from Waukesha County who is also a former Republican state attorney general. Musk and his associated groups poured around $20 million into Schimel’s campaign.

As reported by NPR, this funding was part of a larger strategy that included offering $100 to people who signed a petition against “activist judges,” and giving $1 million to two people who attended a rally. In contrast, Crawford received backing from the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which provided at least $10 million, as well as support from big donors like JB Pritzker and George Soros, along with endorsements from former President Barack Obama, various labor unions, Planned Parenthood, and EMILY’s List.

Adam Kinzinger slams Elon Musk in major victory

After the results, Adam Kinzinger released a tweet gloating about the win against Musk, which reads, “Looks like @elonmusk lost bigly.” This is more than just a battle between people, though; the election’s result is important for several cases contested before the court. Key cases will soon be decided with this new judge serving. Crawford, the elected judge, said, “As a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin — and we won,” Crawford said before vowing to be a “fair, impartial and common sense justice.”

One key case deals with the legality of abortion in Wisconsin, specifically whether an old ban from before the Civil War should take precedence over existing state laws that allow abortion up to around 20 weeks. Another case involves a 2011 law that limits collective bargaining for most public employees in Wisconsin. The Tesla company’s lawsuit against Wisconsin regarding direct-to-consumer car sales may be part of the reason Musk was so involved.

Crawford has a background that includes work on reproductive rights and voting rights as a private lawyer and has served under former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. In contrast, Schimel supported Wisconsin’s voter ID law and defended the state’s old abortion law, though he mentioned this issue should be settled by what the “will of the people” decide. Neither candidate promised to step back from cases that involved their major donors, despite judges in the state having considerable discretion to decide on such matters.

After Crawford’s win, Schimel conceded the race and asked his supporters to accept the outcome despite some claims of voting problems. It seems like a pattern where one side wins, and the other claims voting problems.