>> The spring election is next Tuesday, and the race for a seat
on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has now surpassed 2023 as the
most expensive in U.S. History. Political parties, outside
groups and rich individuals on both sides have ratcheted up
spending that could approach $100 million by the time it's
over. Elon Musk figures prominently in the spending
spree, including saying he would give several Wisconsin people $1
million each for either signing on to a petition opposing
activist judges or having voted in the election. Legal action
against this is pending. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has
endorsed Conservative Brad Schimel and Barack Obama
publicly throws his support to liberal Susan Crawford. Here and
now, senior political reporter Zac Schultz tells us, if it
feels a little bit like a replay of last fall's election. That's
not an accident. >> The radio money, the news.
>> In December, Brad Schimel held a campaign event featuring
his band four on the floor. [MUSIC]
While this was billed as a campaign kickoff, in reality,
Schimel had been running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme
Court for more than a year at that point.
>> Over this 12 months, I have now campaigned in 65 counties.
>> He relaunched his campaign in December because prior to that,
most of the attention was on the race for president. Even though
Supreme Court elections are technically nonpartizan. The
room was full of Republican Party officials and volunteers,
and Schimel was not shy about connecting his campaign to the
larger conservative movement. >> I've never seen our side.
This motivated or this united. >> It was clear the strategy was
to keep the momentum from Donald Trump's win in November and
carry it all the way to April 1st.
>> 3.4 million Wisconsinites showed up to the polls to vote
for president, but we expect only 2 million to show up on
April 1st. That means whichever campaign can can best retain
their voters from November will win in April.
>> A month later, Susan Crawford held a campaign event in green
Bay, introducing herself to a crowd at the headquarters of the
Democratic Party of Brown County.
>> I think you're all here because you know how important
this race is. >> The mood in this room was
different, something Crawford recognized as a hangover from
Kamala Harris's loss in November.
after the November election, I did sense some some people that
I was talking to just being very disappointed by the outcome of
that election. >> I can definitely tell you it
wasn't a great experience. >> Landiran Kern RFK, Jr. Was at
Crawford's Green Bay event and can testify to feeling crushed
by November's election. >> I would definitely say when
it came to myself and other students and even adults, morale
was very, very low. >> We first introduced you to
Landiran last summer as he attended the Democratic National
Convention in Chicago. As one of the youngest members of the
Wisconsin delegation. He started his freshman year at UW green
Bay, trying to convince other students to vote. But the
election nearly pushed him out of politics altogether.
>> It's like, well, why should I go out and vote? Why should I go
and canvass? Why should I help anyone besides myself? I think
coming off of last fall, we were pretty well positioned heading
in into this spring. >> It was just the opposite for
John Beauchamp. >> With a favorable result of
the November election, with Trump winning. I think that
really kind of propelled the momentum forward quite a bit.
And a lot of people were just ready and willing to get back
out there and win again. >> John is with the Republican
Party of Jefferson County and the young Republicans. We first
introduced you to John at the RNC in Milwaukee. He's part of
the political machine trying to convert Trump voters into
Schimel voters. >> I think that Schimel is in
probably a better place than any Republican conservative
candidate I've seen in a long while here in Wisconsin.
>> While the Democrats have to worry about low morale,
Republicans have to worry about complacency, with Trump
supporters thinking his election was the last they needed to
worry about. >> There's the, of course, that
natural tendency to want to just rest and let's just, you know,
take a little break here. >> Historically, Wisconsin
Supreme Court elections are sleepy affairs, with turnout
just a fraction of presidential elections. But 2023 changed
everything. That race saw turnout reach 41%, more than
double the average over the last decade. Schimmel's prediction of
2 million voters this spring would be 43% turnout. A new
record. where I'm out meeting with
voters, talking about the importance of this race, and I'm
finding that people are plugged in. They haven't lost. They
haven't lost an ounce of the momentum from November.
>> Crawford says the focus has returned for her supporters.
>> For events that I'm attending now. People seem really
energized and really enthusiastic. They are also, I
think, nervous and afraid by, you know, just a sense that
rights are under attack in our country and feeling like they
want to do something about that. >> I was like, I can't just sit
here on the sidelines and allow this to happen.
>> Landiran is back on board, working with other organizers to
canvass votes for Crawford, convincing his college friends
that losing an election doesn't mean you quit voting.
>> Those same friends now, they felt like it was a waste of
their vote. And so it's me trying to ensure them that I
know the system seems flawed, and I know it seems like it was
unfair, but that election cycle is over. We have to do what we
can now, and that's to get Susan Crawford in.
means knocking doors and making calls. Just like last fall.
>> I know that we seem like a burden to come and to knock on
your door, but it's that important. And I've been saying
that since the presidential cycle that it's that important
that you go out and vote. It's very easy to forget that the
ground game matters, that getting out there, doing the old
fashioned, knocking on someone's door, making the phone calls,
sending the postcards out, it all matters.