Why Elon Musk cares so much about a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat

Summary

Post Reports: Why Elon Musk Cares So Much About a Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat

Episode Release Date: March 31, 2025
Hosts: Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi

---

Introduction

In the March 31, 2025 episode of Post Reports by The Washington Post, host Colby Ikowicz delves into the high-stakes race for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This judicial contest has garnered significant attention not just for its legal implications but also for the influential figures backing the candidates, notably Elon Musk. Joined by reporter Patrick Marley, they explore the motivations behind Musk's deep involvement and the broader political ramifications tied to this race.

---

Overview of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

The upcoming election on Tuesday marks one of the first major electoral contests since the 2024 presidential election, focusing on an open seat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Unlike typical judicial races, this contest has transformed into a battleground emblematic of larger political struggles, particularly between conservative forces led by Elon Musk and the Democratic Party.

Key Points:

• Proxy Battle: Many view the race as a proxy conflict between Trump-aligned conservatives and Democrats striving to maintain judicial influence.
• Expensive Contest: The race is currently the most expensive judicial election in history, with over $90 million spent, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU.

---

Elon Musk's Involvement and Strategies

Elon Musk, known primarily as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has taken an unprecedented role in a state Supreme Court race. His involvement centers on supporting conservative candidate Brad Schimmel through significant financial investments and innovative campaign tactics.

Notable Quotes:

• Elon Musk [00:46]: "Reach out to your friends and family in Wisconsin. You know, educate them as to the importance of this race... it could decide the fate of the country."

Strategic Actions:

• Financial Backing: Musk's super PAC is investing over $20 million in digital ads and field operations to support Schimmel.
• Direct Voter Engagement: Initiatives include door-to-door campaigning with hired teams targeting conservative voters.
• Incentivizing Voters: Musk introduced a controversial petition offering $100 for signing and an additional $100 for referrals, with the chance to win $1 million through a lottery system.

Legal Challenges:

• Attorney General's Response: Josh Kahl, Wisconsin's Attorney General, filed a lawsuit against Musk's giveaway of $1 million checks, citing it as a violation of anti-voting bribery statutes. However, the state Supreme Court did not uphold Kahl's request, allowing Musk to continue his financial giveaways.

Event Highlight:

• Green Bay Rally [04:31]: Musk held a rally where he distributed $1 million checks to two voters, emphasizing attention to the low-turnout race. His actions, including donning a foam cheese head and interacting with a crowd dressed in MAGA gear, underscored his commitment to influencing the election outcome.

---

Candidates Profiles

Brad Schimmel (Republican Endorsement):

• Background: Former prosecutor and district attorney from Waukesha County, a suburb of Milwaukee.
• Political Stance: A staunch supporter of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Despite the nonpartisan nature of the race, Schimmel is heavily backed by the Republican Party.
• Career Path: Served as Attorney General before losing re-election, subsequently appointed as a trial court judge in Waukesha County by outgoing Governor Scott Walker.

Susan Crawford (Democratic Endorsement):

• Background: Former chief counsel for Democratic Governor Jim Doyle and experienced in handling liberal causes. Currently a judge in Dane County, the region encompassing Madison.
• Political Stance: Aligns with liberal values, advocating for union rights and supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood. Endorsed by former President Barack Obama.
• Campaign Messaging: Emphasizes impartiality and the importance of right over left, aiming to contrast herself with Schimmel's perceived affiliations with Musk and Trump.

Notable Quotes:

• Susan Crawford [01:11]: "He started running these attack ads against me back in February... He doesn’t know anything about this state, but he wants to."
• Brad Schimmel [09:10]: "Justice is my life's work."

---

Strategies of Republicans and Democrats

Republican Strategy:

• Musk's Influence: Leverages Musk's substantial financial contributions and high-profile endorsements to galvanize conservative voters.
• Voter Mobilization: Focused on engaging Trump supporters through innovative campaigning and financial incentives, aiming to replicate previous successful low-turnout strategies.

Democratic Strategy:

• Counter-Narrative: Seeks to portray Brad Schimmel as a puppet of Elon Musk and Donald Trump, attempting to discredit his judicial impartiality.
• Grassroots Mobilization: Hosts town hall meetings labeled as "People vs. Musk," encouraging voters to express concerns over Musk’s and Trump's influence on state governance.
• Capitalizing on Discontent: Aims to channel liberal frustration with current political dynamics into voter turnout against Musk-backed candidates.

Notable Quotes:

• Ben Wickler [15:54]: "If you are concerned about what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to this country... raise your hand."
• Ben Wickler [16:27]: "He wants to operate outside the law, outside the Constitution... Nobody voted for Elon Musk to be President of the United States."

---

Stakes of the Race: Redistricting and Democratic Influence

A primary concern driving both Musk and the Democratic Party is the role of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in redistricting—the process of redrawing congressional and legislative maps following the census. The court's decisions can significantly influence political power dynamics by determining district boundaries that may favor one party over another.

Key Concerns:

• Conservative Fear: Musk and his allies fear that a Democratic-controlled court could redraw districts to advantage Democrats, potentially altering the balance in the House of Representatives.
• Democratic Perspective: Opponents argue that Musk's involvement is an undue influence that could compromise judicial impartiality and democratic integrity.

Notable Quotes:

• Elon Musk [06:29]: "This is about preserving democracy in America and not having ridiculous districts drawn that effectively disenfranchised voters in Wisconsin."
• Elon Musk [06:55]: "My view, this is about preserving democracy in America..."

---

Campaign Spending and Its Implications

The unprecedented level of financial investment in this judicial race has transformed it into a highly competitive and closely watched contest. Both sides have engaged prominent billionaires and leveraged extensive fundraising efforts to secure victory.

Funding Insights:

• Total Spending: Exceeds $90 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.
• Democratic Backing for Crawford: Supported by billionaires like J.B. Pritzker, Reid Hoffman, and George Soros, alongside substantial small donor contributions.
• Republican Backing for Schimmel: Dominated by Elon Musk's financial influence, outpacing other Republican donors.

Impact of Spending:

• Level Playing Field: Both candidates have access to vast resources, bringing the race to a balance where neither side holds a clear financial advantage.
• Voter Influence: Heavy spending influences voter outreach strategies, media coverage, and the overall visibility of the candidates.

Notable Quotes:

• Patrick Marley [19:33]: "The key point here is it's about even. And that's a change from the past where you had the liberals having a big financial advantage over the conservatives."

---

Implications for Future Elections and Voter Sentiment

This judicial race serves as an early indicator of voter sentiment ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. It reflects the ongoing struggle between conservative and liberal forces and the influence of high-profile figures like Musk and Trump in shaping political landscapes.

Potential Outcomes:

• Conservative Victory: Could solidify Republican control over redistricting, maintaining or expanding their influence in Congress.
• Democratic Victory: May counterbalance conservative efforts, ensuring fairer redistricting and potentially paving the way for Democratic gains in future elections.

Voter Engagement:

• High Stakes Despite Low Turnout: Although judicial races typically see lower voter turnout, the intense campaigning efforts aim to maximize participation among motivated bases.
• Indicator of Broader Trends: While not definitive, the results may hint at the effectiveness of current political strategies and the public’s response to influential backers like Elon Musk.

Notable Quotes:

• Patrick Marley [20:56]: "This is the first test of Trump 2.0... It’s a lot of room to grow because you have so many people who don't vote in these elections."

---

Conclusion

The Wisconsin Supreme Court race encapsulates a pivotal moment where judicial appointments intersect with broader political ambitions and influential personalities. Elon Musk's unprecedented financial involvement underscores the race's significance beyond state lines, potentially impacting national political dynamics. As both Republicans and Democrats deploy substantial resources and strategic campaigning, the outcome of this race will not only determine the future of Wisconsin's judiciary but also offer insights into the evolving landscape of American politics.

---

Produced by: Laura Benshoff
Mixed by: Shawn Carter
Edited by: Rena Flores
Special Thanks to: Dan Egan

For more detailed analyses and updates on this race and other significant elections, subscribe to Post Reports by The Washington Post.

Transcript

[Colby Ikowicz]

On Tuesday, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls for one of the first major electoral contests since the 2024 presidential election. The race is for an open seat on the state Supreme Court. But the most talked about person in that race isn't one of the candidates.

[Christina Quinn]

The race is being seen by many as a proxy battle over the Trump.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Administration and Elon Musk.

[Susan Crawford]

Elon Musk. Elon Musk.

[Patrick Marley]

Both Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates have sparred over Elon Musk's role in the campaign.

[Colby Ikowicz]

That's right. The Trump advisor and Tesla CEO has been campaigning for the conservative judicial candidate, Brad Schimmel. Musk's super PAC is spending big on the race, and he used his social media platform X to urge voters to support his pick for the court.

[Elon Musk]

Reach out to your friends and family in Wisconsin. You know, educate them as to the importance of this, of this, this race, which might not seem important, but it's actually really important, and it could decide the fate of the country.

[Colby Ikowicz]

On the other side, Democrats are hoping that voters will be turned off by Musk's involvement. Here's the candidate endorsed by Democrats, Susan Crawford. She's talking to a liberal social media influencer.

[Susan Crawford]

He started running these attack ads against me back in February. The first ad that he ran had a picture of a different Susan Crawford in it, somebody named Susan, not me. He doesn't know anything about this state, but you know, he wants to.

[Colby Ikowicz]

This dynamic has helped make the contest the most expensive judicial race in history. And it's turned into a test case over the strength of Trump and Musk's support among voters. From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Colby ikowicz. It's Monday, March 31st. Today I talk with Post reporter and my democracy team friend, Patrick Marley. He covers voting issues from where he lives in the key swing state of Wisconsin. We break down why Elon Musk cares so much about this judicial seat that he's giving away actual checks to registered voters. And we'll talk about what Democrats hope they can prove here after their stinging 2024 defeat. Patrick. Hi.

[Patrick Marley]

Hello.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Tell me what, what is Elon Musk doing in this race in Wisconsin?

[Patrick Marley]

Elon Musk is spending a lot of money. He's going to spend $20 million, maybe more, to elect Brad Schimmel. So he's running digital ads. He's doing a big field operation where he's hired people to go door to door knocking on conservative voters. He and other conservatives are really focused on getting out. Trump supporters, they see that as the Recipe to winning here.

[Colby Ikowicz]

And is he paying voters again? I remember that was something he was doing in the lead up to the presidential election.

[Patrick Marley]

Yeah, so that's something he started recently where he put out a petition that says if you oppose activist judges, sign this petition and get $100, refer a friend and provide their contact information and get another $100. And that essentially gives him an opportunity to buy a bunch of data from people who he thinks might support Schimmel. And. And then he can bombard them with text messages or other messaging to get them to come vote. And he's escalated that by now telling us that he has chosen petition signers and given them a million dollars. And so he's doing this lottery that we saw him do right before the presidential election where he gives would be supporters cash in hopes that it will help generate interest in the race and get a victory.

[Colby Ikowicz]

And it's like a legit lottery. Like people get $100 just for signing it, but there's a chance they could win a million.

[Patrick Marley]

Exactly.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Wait, Patrick, is. Is that even legal?

[Josh Kahl]

Well, that's a good question. After the first giveaway, Musk announced that he was gonna come to the state and give another $1 million check to two voters in the state. That prompted the Attorney General of the state, Josh Kahl, he's a Democrat, to file a lawsuit arguing that it violated an anti voting bribery statute in the state that says you can't give something of value to someone for voting. That case moved through the weekend and got to the state supreme Court, but really nobody took up the attorney General on his request. And so Musk was able to give out more money. He held a rally on Sunday in Green Bay.

[Elon Musk]

Everybody, thanks for coming.

[Josh Kahl]

Musk is there in a foam cheese head that you wear at a Green Bay packers game.

[Elon Musk]

What do you think of my hat?

[Josh Kahl]

He's in front of a giant flag. He's got a crowd of a couple thousand people in MAGA gear. And early on in the event, he held up the oversized check.

[Elon Musk]

But let me first hand out two one million dollar checks in appreciation.

[Josh Kahl]

Had two people come up.

[Elon Musk]

Okay, so the first check goes to Nicholas Jacobs.

[Josh Kahl]

Handed them the money, which he said was just a way to bring attention to what is a low turnout race, that he's trying to get the media to pay attention to this stuff so that voters know that there's an election.

[Elon Musk]

You know, the reason for the checks is that it's really just to get attention. We need to get attention. And somewhat inevitably, when I do these things, it causes the legacy media to like, kind of lose their minds.

[Josh Kahl]

After Elon Musk handed out these two $1 million checks, he announced another way that he's going to be giving voters money. And that is for them to go out into their neighborhoods, find people who can vote, get them to hold a picture of Brad Schimmel, the candidate he supports, and give a thumbs up. If they take a photo of that and provide it to Musk's pack, he'll give them $20. So it's another way to use cash to try to generate interest in the race.

[Colby Ikowicz]

So, Patrick, Elon Musk is saying this race is really important. What is he talking about? What's at stake in a state level judicial race.

[Patrick Marley]

So Elon Musk the other day hosted a live stream on X, the social media platform he owns. He had Brad Schimmel on, he had Senator Ron Johnson on to talk about the race and, and to start it off, Elon Musk talked about why he got involved in the race.

[Elon Musk]

It's a very important race for many reasons. I mean, maybe the most consequential is that it will decide the congressional districts, how congressional districts are drawn in Wisconsin.

[Patrick Marley]

And he said it was because he feared that this court, if the liberals maintain their control of it, would redraw the House seats for the state and give Democrats an edge in running for Congress.

[Elon Musk]

My view, this is about preserving democracy in America and not having ridiculous districts drawn that effectively disenfranchised voters in Wisconsin.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Patrick, redistricting is complicated. Explain to us why would the courts play a role in. In redrawing the maps?

[Patrick Marley]

So after every census, the states have to draw new maps to account for population changes and make sure all of their legislative districts have equal populations and all of their congressional districts have equal population. And as it happens, who draws the lines gets to determine a lot of which party has an advantage in election. So when states draw these lines, there's often a lot of legal fights because, you know, either Republicans or Democrats will have given themselves an edge in political races.

[Colby Ikowicz]

And is that when the court comes in?

[Patrick Marley]

Yes, then a lawsuit is filed. And it's the Wisconsin Supreme Court in this case that. I mean, they've already had two redistricting cases that were decided and they could have more.

[Colby Ikowicz]

And so what is Elon Musk's fear if a Democrat wins when it comes to redistricting?

[Patrick Marley]

Yeah. After the liberals took control of the court, there was a lawsuit over the state legislative maps and the court ruled in the favor of Democrats. New lines had to be drawn for the State legislature. The Republicans worry that that's gonna come back with a lawsuit over the U.S. house seats and that the court could draw them in a way that gives Democrats two more seats from the state.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Right. And for Elon Musk, it's in part ensuring that Republicans stay in the majority in the House.

[Patrick Marley]

Absolutely. He says that if the Democrats take control of the House, they'll be able to thwart Trump's agenda, and he doesn't want to see that stop.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Patrick, let's take a moment and understand these candidates and their history. Let's start with Brad Schimmel. Who is he?

[Patrick Marley]

Brad Schimmel is a former prosecutor from Waukesha County. It's just a suburb of Milwaukee. He was there, district attorney there, and before that was an assistant district attorney.

[Susan Crawford]

Your job title shouldn't define you, but in the job I'm running for, it should. I'm Brad Schimmel and justice is my life's work.

[Patrick Marley]

Used that to get himself elected as Attorney general. Served one term. He's a Republican. After one term, he lost. And when he lost, the outgoing governor, Scott Walker, appointed him as a judge in Waukesha County. So he's a trial court judge in that county. Justice.

[Susan Crawford]

For me, it's not a title, it's my mission statement.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Would you consider him or would people consider him maga?

[Patrick Marley]

Oh, he's absolutely maga. He's a big supporter of Donald Trump, a loud and proud supporter of Donald Trump. He has said that he hoped that Trump would hold a rally in Wisconsin for him. That doesn't look like that's going to happen. Trump, he's formally endorsed Brad Schimmel, which Schimmel was very excited about.

[Colby Ikowicz]

And again, I know this is different in different states, but when you run for a state supreme court, are you running as a specific political party?

[Patrick Marley]

Well, lol. It's a nonpartisan race. And I say LOL because although they don't have party designations on the ballot, there's really no fiction that it is nonpartisan. The Republican Party has endorsed Brad Schimmel and that's more than just saying we support him. That is, you know, actively campaigning for him. That is the full time operation of the state Republican Party right now. Likewise with the state Democratic Party, they have endorsed Crawford and their sole focus right now is helping Susan Crawford win this race. So they're very partisan affairs.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Well, and tell us a little bit about Susan Crawford then. The not Democrat. Democrat running for this.

[Patrick Marley]

Sure. Well, Susan Crawford worked for a Democratic governor, Jim Doyle. She was chief counsel and held some other key positions for him. She also worked for him when he was Attorney General. And then after she left that office, she went to work for a private law firm that often works on liberal causes. And then a few years ago, she was elected to be a judge in Dane county, which is the county where.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Madison, Wisconsin is based on the kind of ideological spectrum. Where is Susan Crawford? Would you consider her like a very far left liberal, more centrist?

[Patrick Marley]

I mean, it's a little harder to chart her positions than, say, Brad Schimmel, just because she hasn't been a legislator or held a job like attorney general.

[Susan Crawford]

Fair, impartial, common sense. That's Judge Susan Crawford.

[Patrick Marley]

She has worked for unions to help them as they fought restrictions on unions in the state. She's worked for Planned Parenthood as a lawyer.

[Susan Crawford]

For me, being a judge is really pretty simple. There's right, left, and there's wrong, and I'll always do the right thing for Wisconsin.

[Patrick Marley]

So she's taken on a lot of liberal causes and she got endorsed by Barack Obama the other day. So, you know, the sort of usual suspects on both the Democratic and Republican side line up in expected ways in this race.

[Colby Ikowicz]

So, Patrick, we talked a little bit about the stakes of the race, about redistricting and the fact that the judges could have a role in redrawing congressional and legislative maps. Is that the main thing that's at stake for Musk and Trump and the MAGA brand in particular? Why else are they so involved in this?

[Patrick Marley]

So right before Musk's political operation got involved in the Wisconsin race, it filed a lawsuit against the state over a law that it has that bars car manufacturers from over owning dealerships. So Tesla structures its sales as direct to consumers. So they want to own these dealerships in the state. They've tried to do that. The state has said you can't. Now Tesla is suing the state to get the right to sell its cars.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Hmm. How much do you think that is playing into Elon Musk's interest in this particular race?

[Patrick Marley]

Well, it's certainly an interest of Musk's to make that happen. He's fought this for a long time. You know, now he's doing it through litigation, but before that, they tried to change state law or get legislators to change the state law. So it's definitely important to him. At the same time, you know, Musk has many business interests and the sales of Tesla in one relatively small state are not going to make or break the company. Obviously, he's got SpaceX and many things. So that is to say it is a business interest of his for sure, it's probably not the biggest thing facing his business interests right now.

[Colby Ikowicz]

After the break, we'll discuss how Democrats are trying to make Musk and by extension Schimmel the villain in this race, even mixing up their names at one point.

[Susan Crawford]

You know, I have support from all over the country and it is because Elon Schimmel is trying to buy this race.

[Colby Ikowicz]

We'll be right back.

[Christina Quinn]

Okay, Real talk, we're all kind of hooked on our phones. It's full of shiny apps designed to keep your attention captive forever. But there's real life stuff to do other than scrolling and I'm here to help. I'm Christina Quinn, the host of Try this, a podcast from the Washington Post. The show explores solutions for for life's common problems. And this season we're learning to tame the dopamine beast and reclaim our attention in this noisy and distracting world. So let's tame the beast together. Find Try this from the Washington Post, wherever you listen.

[Colby Ikowicz]

So, Patrick, we've talked about the Republicans and Musk's role. So let's talk about the Democrats. What has been their strategy?

[Patrick Marley]

Their strategy is to paint Brad Schimmel as a pawn of Elon Musk and to a lesser extent, a pawn of Donald Trump. The Democratic Party is holding events around the state that they bill as the people versus Musk town hall meetings. I went to the first one they held, which was in Sauk City, a city near Madison, maybe 30 minutes away. That's one of the swingiest places in the state, certainly the swingiest county in the state. You know, they checked out a room in the public library. Hundred plus people showed up and they just went around the room one by one, raising their concerns about what Trump is doing and what Musk is doing to the federal government.

[Ben Wickler]

If you are concerned about what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to this country, to this state and to this county, raise your hand.

[Josh Kahl]

Ben Wickler, the chairman of the Democratic Party for the state, was leading the.

[Ben Wickler]

Event because Elon Musk, with full support for Donald Trump, is at the same time trying to destroy Social Security, the Veterans Administration, the Department of Education, so many things that affect working families across our state and across our country.

[Patrick Marley]

They talked about Susan Crawford, too, and emphasized the importance of voting for her as they saw it.

[Ben Wickler]

And this is the test case, whether he can plow his money in to grab control of the the highest court in the state. That is the big.

[Patrick Marley]

But really it was a session to vent about Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

[Ben Wickler]

From what we can tell, he wants to operate outside the law, outside the Constitution. Nobody voted for Elon Musk to be President of the United States.

[Patrick Marley]

They see Musk as unpopular. And because he's spending so much in this race, they're trying to use that to double back on him and say this guy's taking a chainsaw to the federal government and creating chaos. That's their perspective of it. Brad Schimmel's just going to do whatever he wants. And so they see this as a way to make this race all about Musk, which they think will get their base out and persuade swing voters to have a say in this race. As to the type of person who showed up here, it was your typical Democratic voter. I mean, it was their core coalition of voters, people who were regular reliable voters. And that's what these elections are about because they're much smaller turnouts than fall elections. So really the most dialed in voters are historically the ones who show up. And both sides see this race as relying on just generating the best turnout they can, getting the people who are paying attention to come out and vote.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Basically, if voters are feeling angry about what Musk is doing in Washington, they might turn out to vote against a Musk backed candidate.

[Patrick Marley]

That's right. They're trying to tap into all the liberal anger that they feel because they're so out of power and say this is a concrete thing you can do to send a message to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Are Democrats investing in this race at anywhere the same level? Like who is backing Crawford?

[Patrick Marley]

Elon Musk. He's drawing all the headlines. He is a big spender in this race, but with $80 million or more being spent, it's pretty even in terms of the two sides spending the money. And Crawford's gotten money either directly or through the state party from some big name billionaires as well. J.B. pritzker, the governor of Illinois, the co founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, who often spends for liberals. George Soros is a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates and causes. He's given money in this race and a lot of small donors. Susan Crawford has raised a lot of money. We just got a campaign finance report for her that she says shows she's raised more money than any candidate for judicial office in US History anywhere. And a lot of that money started flowing as soon as Elon Musk started pouring his money into the race. So there was sort of this small donor response that she was able to capitalize on. Republicans are Quick to say, hey, look, these billionaires are helping out the Crawford team as well, which is true, but they're not doing it anywhere near the scale of Elon Musk.

[Colby Ikowicz]

How much do you think all of this money and all these big name donors are gonna matter in the end? Is the race gonna come down to who spent the most, or is it really going to come down to just what is it going to come down to?

[Patrick Marley]

I guess, yeah. So the money matters, and it's important, but I don't think you can say whoever spends the most is the one that's going to win. The key point here is it's about even. And that's a change from the past where you had the liberals having a big financial advantage over the conservatives. And the spending in this race is really quite something. I think, to put it into perspective, you need to think of it like a governor's race or U.S. senate race. That's the spending level we're at, not what you would normally see for an obscure state Supreme Court seat. And now that they're kind of on an even playing field, I think that either candidate could win. The last time you did see the liberal candidates winning by very sizable margins, 11 points. I think in both of the last two races, this one's gonna be much closer than that, right?

[Colby Ikowicz]

I mean, for Musk, you know, he's made himself, you know, the bankroller of maga, and it seems like people are looking at this race as the first test of Trump 2.0. And you and I have covered politics for a really long time. You can't merely make broad national assumptions about one race in an off year. But how much should we take away, depending on who wins? What does it tell us about voter sentiment right now?

[Patrick Marley]

Well, it is certainly the first test of Trump 2.0. There's no question about that. They're spending all this money because of how important this race is and a sense that it can give them inroads into the 2026 midterms. Trump just won all the swing states. His team wants to continue that momentum and build it out. They did a really good job of winning by getting low propensity voters to come out. Now they're trying to use that same strategy for a much lower turnout election. So there's a lot of room to grow because you have so many people who don't vote in these elections. But also, it is much, much harder to get people to vote in a state Supreme Court race where they don't know the candidates. Donald Trump's not on the ballot. Whether he's someone who motivates you to vote for him or against him, he's not there. Democrats, meanwhile, are completely out of power in Washington and they want to come back. And if they can win this, they can start to put the pieces back together for midterm elections that they hope that will be good for them. Now, I absolutely agree with your point that, you know, no one should overread the results here. This is just going to be one election in one state. It might tell us something, but it's not going to tell us definitively who's going to win in 2026 or anything like that.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Patrick, thank you so much for joining me.

[Patrick Marley]

Thank you.

[Colby Ikowicz]

Patrick Marley covers voting issues for the Post. As of Monday, there's an updated tally for how much has been spent on this race. It's now more than $90 million. That's according to the left leaning Brennan center for justice at New York University. That's it for Post reports. Thanks for listening. There are two other special elections we're paying close attention to that are also on Tuesday, there are elections for two congressional districts in Florida, one to replace former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and the other to replace Trump's national security advisor, Mike Waltz. You might recognize his name from the Signal chat debacle. If you want to keep updated on all these contests, please subscribe to the Washington Post. Not only is it a great way to help us continue to do this work, but you can now get access to Washington Post podcasts ad free in Apple Podcasts. Today's show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was mixed by Shawn Carter and edited by Rena Flores. Thanks to Dan Egan. I'm Colby Ikowicz. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from the Washington Post.

[Christina Quinn]

Okay, real Talk, we're all kind of hooked on our phones. It's full of shiny apps designed to keep your attention captive forever. But there's real life stuff to do other than scrolling, and I'm here to help. I'm Christina Quinn, the host of Try this, a podcast from the Washington Post. The show explores solutions for life's common problems. And this season we're learning to tame the dopamine beast and reclaim our attention in this noisy and distracting world. So let's tame the beast together. Find Try this from the Washington Post. Wherever you listen.