Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin rolls out $300K investment in state court race

Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin (AFP-WI) is rolling out a new investment of $300,000 in the state's Supreme Court race as it looks to support conservative candidate Brad Schimel in the April 1 election.

AFP-WI’s latest investment, news of which was first shared with The Hill, includes several digital and connected TV ads, as well as a mailer. In some of the ads, a narrator says that “Judge Brad Schimel will follow the law, protect us and keep our families safe” while suggesting liberal candidate Susan Crawford will “play dangerous partisan politics” and calls her “soft on crime.”

In one of the digital ads, AFP-WI urges to “stop progressive control” and says “Wisconsin’s future is at stake.” Another digital ad encourages voters to cast their ballot for Schimel.

The ad campaign brings AFP-WI’s ad investments in the race to $1.3 million, which it notes “is in addition to our robust ongoing statewide grassroots work and direct mail campaign.”

“Wisconsinites deserve better than Susan Crawford, who stands by her extreme, partisan agenda over the people of Wisconsin,” AFP-WI state director Megan Novak said in a statement.

“AFP-WI is boosting its efforts to support Brad Schimel on April 1st with an additional six-figure investment because there is no room for Crawford's extreme agenda and soft-on-crime record on our state's highest court,” she added.

Wisconsinites will head to the polls next month to vote on several races, including a vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is not running for another term, bringing the partisan tilt of the court to an even 3-3 split.

The election will determine whether the high court remains a liberal majority or flips back to a conservative one.

The judicial race has already seen millions pouring into the race given that opportunities to influence the partisan makeup of a high court in a battleground state are few and far between.

Other outside groups that are spending in the race have included Elon Musk’s America PAC, ACLU Voter Education Fund and the Republican State Leadership Committee’s (RSLC) Judicial Fairness Initiative.

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