The Dane County judge has raised more than $5 million, much from the state party, as Wisconsin Dems continue their fundraising edge.
By Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, the political left’s candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2025, has reported raising more than $5 million in her campaign so far, thanks in part to $2 million in donations from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
By comparison, her opponent, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge and former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, has raised more than $3 million, according to mandatory campaign finance filings with the state.
Per state law, the maximum a person can give a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court is $20,000. But a loophole in state campaign finance law allows political parties to raise unlimited amounts and donate unlimited amounts to candidates. Both candidates have taken great advantage of this. The state Republican Party has given Schimel nearly $1.7 million.
Campaigns for Wisconsin Supreme Court are technically nonpartisan, though both major parties throw support behind their preferred candidate.
The race projects to be one of the court’s most expensive ever. Whichever side’s candidate wins will control the majority of the highest court in the state.
The campaigns, their parties and independent political organizations spent a record-smashing $51 million in the last race for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, an organization that tracks campaign finance in the state. That election flipped the majority of the court from the right to the left for the first time in years. The court then ended the Republican gerrymander of the state’s political districts. A win by Schimel could flip it back.
Crawford previously worked as a prosecutor for the state’s Department of Justice under then-Attorney General Jim Doyle. When the Democrat was elected governor, she went with him, serving as his chief legal counsel. After, Crawford worked in private practice, representing Planned Parenthood, among many other clients.
The seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is opening because left-leaning Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring.
The general election is April 1. The winner will earn a 10-year term on the state’s high court.
Donors who have given Crawford the legal maximum $20,000
| NAME | LOCATION | OCCUPATION | AMOUNT | NOTES |
| Democratic Party of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | $2,000,000 | ||
| Artz, Christy | San Francisco, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Bernstein, Natalie | Atlanta, GA | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Blumenthal, Jabe | Seattle, WA | RETIRED | $20,000 | |
| Burnstein, Clifford | New York, NY | MANAGER | $20,000 | |
| Christensen, Laurits | Madison, WI | CHAIRMAN | $20,000 | |
| Clearman, Stephen | Valatie, NY | INVESTOR | $20,000 | |
| Connell, William | Lake Forest, IL | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Couric, Charles | Moraga, CA | RETIRED | $20,000 | |
| Cumming, Annette | Jackson, WY | PRESIDENT AND CEO | $20,000 | |
| Devereaux, Marjorie | Madison, WI | RETIRED | $20,000 | |
| English, Stephen | Pasadena, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Erdman, Harold | San Francisco, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Gumport, Leonard | Pasadena, CA | LAWYER | $20,000 | |
| Hall, David | Madison, WI | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Katz, Donald | Madison, WI | FINANCIAL ADVISOR | $20,000 | |
| Krantz, Rebecca | Madison, WI | PRINCIPAL | $20,000 | |
| Lainer, Luis | Los Angeles, CA | INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT | $20,000 | |
| Miller, John C. | Grafton, WI | PRESIDENT/CEO | $20,000 | former CEO of Miller-St. Nazianz, a farm equipment supplier |
| Mosberger-Tang, Ning | Boulder, CO | PHOTOGRAPHER | $20,000 | |
| Munger, Molly | Pasadena, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Munger, Wendy | Pasadena, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $20,000 | |
| Nikolay, Mary E | Abbotsford, WI | RETIRED | $20,000 | |
| O’Farrell, John | Atherton, CA | VENTURE CAPITAL | $20,000 | |
| Schusterman, Lynn | Tulsa, OK | RETIRED | $20,000 | billionaire philanthropist who made a fortune in oil with her now-deceased husband |
| Schusterman, Stacy | Tulsa, OK | EXECUTIVE | $20,000 | Lynn’s daughter and the chair of the family’s foundation |
| Stryker, Pat | Fort Collins, CO | PHILANTHROPIST | $20,000 | |
| Bernstein, John | Guilford, VT | RETIRED | $19,900 | |
| Jurvetson, Karla | Los Altos, CA | PHYSICIAN | $18,500 | |
| EMILY’s List | Washington, DC | $18,000 | ||
| IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund | Washington, DC | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| LiUNA PAC | Washington, DC | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Local 400 COPE Fund | Kaukauna, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| MTI Voters (Voice of Teachers) | Madison, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| NEA Fund for Children and Public Education | Washington, DC | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Plumbers Local 75 PAC | Milwaukee, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Plumbers/Steamfitters 434 PAC | Mosinee, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| SEIU Wisconsin State Council | Madison, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Sprinkler Fitters Local 183 | Menomonee Falls, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Steamfitters Local 601 PAC | Milwaukee, WI | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Teamsters | Washington, DC | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| WI Pipe Trades Assn PAC | Madison, Wi | $18,000 | labor union political action committee | |
| Borton, John | Kennett Square, PA | RETIRED | $15,000 | |
| Haselow, Robert | Edina, MN | MD, PRESIDENT | $15,000 | |
| Hedberg, Peggy | Madison, WI | NOT EMPLOYED | $15,000 | |
| Kaempfer, Joseph | Mclean, VA | BUILDER | $15,000 | |
| Lagally, Max | Madison, WI | NOT EMPLOYED | $14,000 | |
| Neupert, James | Atherton, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $12,750 | |
| AFT Wisconsin COPE | Cottage Grove, WI | $10,000 | ||
| Eder, Daniel | Milwaukee, WI | PRESIDENT | $10,000 | |
| Greeney, Paul | Traverse City, MI | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Greeney, Wendy | Traverse City, MI | RETIRED | $10,000 | |
| Kaufman, Allan | Teaneck, NJ | ACTUARY | $10,000 | |
| Kohn Rabin, Nancy | Baltimore, MD | RETIRED | $10,000 | |
| Leffingwell, Dean | Louisville, CO | EXECUTIVE | $10,000 | |
| Liebman, Thomas | Lake Barrington, IL | PRESIDENT | $10,000 | |
| Mott, Maryanne | Emigrant, MT | RANCHER | $10,000 | |
| Neujahr, Thomas | Madison, WI | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Neujahr, Thomas | Madison, WI | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Peracchio, Laura | Shorewood, WI | PROFESSOR | $10,000 | |
| Phillips, Denise | Moss Beach, CA | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Pugh, William | Bethesda, MD | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Schreiber, Martin | Milwaukee, WI | RETIRED | $10,000 | |
| Sheafor, Steve | Boulder, CO | ENGINEERING CONSULTANT | $10,000 | |
| Smith, Leo | Chicago, IL | POLICY DIRECTOR | $10,000 | |
| Stein, Mark | Villanova, PA | INVESTOR | $10,000 | |
| Syms, Marcy | Bedford Hills, NY | CONSULTANT | $10,000 | |
| Torres, Tomas | Houston, TX | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Witty, Joanne | Bedford Hills, NY | NOT EMPLOYED | $10,000 | |
| Zimlich, Joe | Fort Collins, CO | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $10,000 |
Sreejita Patra contributed to this report.
The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.