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:

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. The court race is a reminder that Wisconsin isn’t just a 50-50 state in presidential races. Close contests for Supreme Court seats have been common in recent years, and liberals are fighting in this one to maintain the 4-3 edge in the court they won in 2023.President Donald Trump’s weekend endorsement of Schimel only elevates the national stakes of the contest. They’re even bigger for Lang and organizations like Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, of which Lang is executive director. She preached a version of that “can’t afford to lose” argument five months ago, but Trump won Wisconsin on his way to a swing-state sweep and the White House. Now, with November’s bruises still tender, she faces another giant organizing and turnout challenge. “There’s always the finger-pointing after an election,” Lang said in an interview. “This would be the first true local test to see if there are lessons learned.”