Wisconsin's election: analysis and gratitude

With a landslide victory, the fight back has begun. Here's who made it happen.

Justice-elect Susan Crawford’s victory on Tuesday over Brad Schimel, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump could mark a sea change in American politics.

The fight back has begun.

This is a note about what just happened—and a huge thank you to those who drove it.

Susan Crawford’s victory astonished the country and the world—not just because she won after being outspent by a campaign fueled by the world’s richest man, but because she did so by a double-digit margin in the brightest purple state in America.

The margin of victory in both the Presidential and Senate races in 2024 was under one percentage point. Susan Crawford won by 10%. Relative to 2024’s presidential race, every single county in Wisconsin moved left.

Source: New York Times

This was not the result simply of GOP weakness. Quite the opposite: Brad Schimel turned out so many voters, 1,063,244, that if he’d been running in 2023 (when Janet Protasiewicz won by a similar double-digit margin), he would have won. He beat his own public vote goal. In fact, Schimel drew more votes than any Supreme Court candidate in Wisconsin history… other than Justice-elect Crawford.

But Susan Crawford is in a league of her own.

Justice-elect Crawford’s total vote count, 1,301,128, not only put her head and shoulders over Schimel’s Supreme Court campaign—it was more than Schimel’s vote total in each of his midterm campaigns for Wisconsin Attorney General.

It’s nearly unheard-of for a spring election to generate higher turnout than a November midterm. But Justice-elect Crawford drew more votes in the spring of 2025 than any Republican candidate for governor in a November election in Wisconsin history.

How did this happen?

First, Justice-elect Crawford ran a spectacular, essentially flawless campaign, with a phenomenal candidate supported by record-breaking fundraising, a superb team, deep support from the Democratic Party and a slew of allies and their commitment to year-round, every-zip-code organizing, and on-point communications. Great candidates, campaigns, organizing, and messaging—they matter.

The Crawford campaign neutralized GOP attacks (crime, anti-trans animus) through blistering offense and credible defense on public safety; united Democrats, persuaded Republicans, and split off some Republicans through an intensive offense on abortion; and turned Musk’s involvement into a contrast on candidate character: Justice-elect Crawford’s integrity against Brad Schimel’s corruption.

Secondly, Elon Musk’s personal intervention was absolutely radioactive. His attempt to bribe Wisconsin voters was profoundly insulting, not to mention illegal. But this insult was made one thousand times worse because it added to injury. Voters knew that Musk was taking a chainsaw to their country with one hand—while dangling $100 bills with the other.

And thirdly, the electorate is enraged. Infuriated by the Trump-Musk administration’s ongoing assault on Social Security, the Veterans Administration, the rule of law, and democracy itself—and so many other things—voters are looking for every possible way to fight back. On Tuesday, they channeled their rage into the ballot box. They will do so again. The backlash has begun. It’s only going to get more intense.

The explosive turnout for Justice-elect Crawford was simultaneously an affirmation of her leadership—she embodies exactly the kind of integrity and public service that Musk has been trying to purge from our government—and also a collective primal scream that Wisconsin has had enough.

This is a dark moment for our country. But Wisconsin voters lit a candle in the darkness. That flame of hope has already begun to spread like wildfire.

Every Republican now has to decide whether to lash themselves to Musk and Trump, now knowing that his fortune cannot save their political careers. And every Democrat and every friend of democracy can take heart: we have not yet collapsed into oligarchy. If we keep bringing the dedication, strategy, and strength to each fight that we brought to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the American experiment can yet survive.

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Justice-elect Crawford’s win—and the reelection of WI school superintendent Jill Underly, and scores of downballot victories—was the work of thousands. On top of the Supreme Court blowout, this was the first election since I’ve been chair (and, as far as I know, ever) in which we won every single one of our targeted local races.

Some deeply heartfelt thanks are in order. A lot of them.

First and above all, all allies of freedom and democracy owe a profound debt of gratitude to Justice-elect Susan Crawford. Her calm, laser-focused, values-grounded leadership never wavered, even under impossible pressure.

With Susan Crawford holding our state Supreme Court’s deciding vote, the law, our Constitution, and our most precious rights and freedoms are in good hands.

This has been a marathon—that turned into a sprint-a-thon. Thank you, Susan Crawford.

Second, congratulations and thanks to Jill Underly, Wisconsin’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. Her victory tonight affirms Wisconsin’s belief that a great democracy requires great public schools, and that all kids deserve to be included and know that they are valued. The most expensive race for state Superintendent in Wisconsin history ran under the radar amidst the explosive Supreme Court race. School privatizers from the far right flooded money into her opponent’s campaign, but Superintendent Underly stood by her principles, and voters responded by voting her in to a second term.

And—congratulations Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson on his reelection, to Winnebago County Executive-elect Gordon Hintz on his victory over an incumbent in Wisconsin’s seventh-biggest county, and to Dane County Executive Melissa Agard for her election to a full term, La Crosse mayor-elect Shaundel Washington-Spivey—and the scores of candidates for local offices all over the state who are celebrating victories tonight. To all who ran for office, win or lose, thank you for your courage and willingness to serve the public. You make democracy work.

Meanwhile, to all those who strove to fund their public schools through referenda because Republicans in the state legislature have refused to update our state’s school funding formula—thank you. Congratulations to those who won. And to all, let’s win a trifecta in Wisconsin in 2026 and properly fund our schools at last.

The successes of those on the ballot tonight were made possible by the tireless work of Democrats who had already won public office. Thanks to the leader of our party, Governor Tony Evers, to Senator Tammy Baldwin; and to Lt. Gov Sara Rodriguez, AG Josh Kaul, and Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski. Each of you made a huge difference.

The Supreme Court’s current majority played a critical role in building its next one. Retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, dean of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and a living legal legend in our state, passed the torch with the adeptness of Bart Starr passing a football. Justices Protasiewicz, Karofsky, and Dallet campaigned relentlessly all over Wisconsin to ensure that the open seat would go to someone ready to join them in upholding Wisconsin’s values, laws, and Constitution. Thanks so much to each of them. And thanks to all of the judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and other leaders in the legal profession who lent their support to Judge Crawford.

Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Congressman Mark Pocan campaigned relentlessly. Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer, Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein, their teams at the ADCC and SSDC, and their colleagues in the Assembly and Senate went to bat and made a difference. Rep. Chris Sinicki did double duty as a State Rep and Milwaukee County Chair in her last such election. County Executive David Crowley, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway poured their energy into this race. Former Governor Jim Doyle and LG Mandela Barnes helped in many ways. To all of the current and former elated elected officials who made this Tuesday a triumph, you have the gratitude of all who believe in democracy.

Brad Schimel announced from the start of his campaign that he intended to nationalize the race. Unlike the national figures who joined his cause, the national Democratic leaders who supported Susan Crawford actually helped.

Thanks so much to President Biden and President Barack Obama for their calls to action, to Vice President Kamala Harris for energizing our Get Out The Vote organizing, Secretary Hillary Clinton for urging volunteers to phone bank, Governor Tim Walz for hosting a People v. Musk town hall in Eau Claire, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for lifting up this race; and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for kicking off multiple phone banks and so much more. And huge thanks also to so many other key national leaders for going above and beyond to help: Senators Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse, Mazie Hirono, Chris Murphy, Sherrod Brown, and Doug Jones; Attorney General Eric Holder; Secretary Pete Buttigieg; Governor Gretchen Whitmer; and Reps. Jamie Raskin, Teresa Legar Fernandez, Kelly Morrison, Katie Porter and many others.

The candidates who put their names on the ballot, their families, and the other public servants who worked their hearts out this spring are all heroes. Their families—spouses, partners, kids, parents—are heroes as well.

When you see candidates at events, on the news, and in ads, you’re seeing the result of hard work by campaign staffers, consultants, and other folks behind the scenes.

We’re in awe of the Crawford campaign team—led by the force of nature known as Cassi Fenili. Cassi managed the victorious operation in the most expensive judicial race in American history… immediately on the heels of serving as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin throughout the mind-warping roller coaster of 2024. And she did that soon after managing the reelection campaign of Governor Evers—which was itself the most expensive governor’s race in the country, and the first time a Democrat won a Governor’s race in Wisconsin during a Democratic presidency since 1962. Nobody knows quite how Cassi does it all. But all of us live in a better world because she does it.

Enormous thanks to all of the stars of Crawford for Wisconsin: the dynamite senior team of Ashley Franz, Sam Roecker, Garren Randolph, Derrick Honeyman, Shelby Foster, Haley Barbour, Emma Lowry, and Patrick Guarasci, and everyone they managed.

The Crawford campaign and its allies outcommunicated Team Schimel on broadcast and digital media, with better messages, in nearly every market and time period; executed brilliant earned media tactics, including a dominant debate; and crisscrossed Wisconsin with beautifully executed on-message events. What a triumph.

Thanks also to the Underly campaign team led by Jorna Taylor. To so many other people who worked on other candidate campaigns—paid or unpaid, as campaign managers, consultants, strategists, kitchen cabinet members, advisers, and volunteers, you have our heartfelt thanks.

Democratic-supported candidates across the state of Wisconsin benefited not only from their own teams, but from a mega-team that helped propel success at every level of the ballot: the mighty Democratic Party of Wisconsin that I am honored to chair.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin raised and spent more than $11.4 million in transfers and in-kind support for Judge Crawford’s race—a record for the party in a spring election.

We owned the ground. WisDems volunteers and staff reached out to voters more than 8 million times, with more than 640,000 neighbor-to-neighbor door knocks, more than 7.4 million phone calls, and a flood of friend-to-friend relational contacts. That’s more than 2.5 times the number of voter contacts from 2023’s record year.

And we owned the screens and the airwaves. WisDems generated hundreds of earned-media stories, across mediums and in local, statewide, and national press. Our digital operation generated roughly 35 million impressions across platforms. And through year-round oppo monitoring and research, we were able to turn Schimel missteps into news cycles that threw his campaign off balance and off message.

Join me in thanking our senior team, and all those they led and managed.

Sarah Abel, our Executive Director, stepped up from Deputy ED when Cassi left to run Crawford’s campaign—and has executed superbly from day one, deftly guiding our stellar team through a wildly challenging spring. I feel lucky each day to work with her. Sarah and our whole party have benefited dramatically from Deputy Executive Director Hannah Mullen’s managerial, strategic, and leadership skills. Devin Remiker, now Senior Advisor, has held a slew of key leadership roles at the party and across Wisconsin politics, and his wisdom has proven invaluable again and again.

Anna Surrey, our Coordinated Campaign Director, is, to my knowledge, the best in the country at what she does. Wisconsin is a better place for her leadership, and the operation she has built will continue to transform Wisconsin politics for years to come.

I’m so grateful for the pathbreaking work of our whole senior staff, and the talented teams they built. Many, many thanks to Chief Operating Officer Sal Cornacchione, Head of People Leah Zine, Finance Director Tina Ignasiak, Digital Director Chuck Engel, Campaigns Director Annie Makielski, Political Director Darrol Gibson, National Political Engagement Director Gabriela Cristobal, and Communications Director Joe Oslund. Huge thanks also to the Coordinated senior team: Organizing Director Gabbie Stasson, Data Director Sarah Brown, and Voter Protection Director Caroline Hutton.

Chief of Staff Andrea Berkeland makes all of my own work possible, and somehow makes it a delight—even on days that start with 5:30am drives across the state and end with late-night emergency Zoom calls. Thank you, Andrea!

To these great folks and to every other member of the WisDems staff—your tirelessness, focus, and excellence not only made a difference this spring, but gave hope to the whole country. When national leaders and journalists hail the Democratic Party of Wisconsin as the most effective state party in the country, they’re talking about you.

Our professional staff works for the members of the party and their elected leadership. It’s a constant pleasure to work hand in glove with my partner from day one, First Vice Chair Felesia Martin. Her insights, values, and dedication make us a stronger party. We have the good fortune to work with Second Vice Chair Tricia Zunker, Secretary Kim Butler, and Treasurer Randy Udell. Our Democratic National Committee delegation is a powerhouse: elected members Andrew Werthmann, Arvina Martin, Alex Lasry, and Tomika Vukovic; at-large member Mahlon Mitchell; DNC Secretary Jason Rae; and Democratic Municipal Officials President Bryan Kennedy.

We also work closely with Executive Committee members Michael Childers and Marcia Steele, leaders on our Standing Committees; Caucus Chairs; Congressional District Party Chairs, our High School, College, and Young Democrats youth wings; the statewide signage distribution network led in partnership with the Rural Caucus; and the county parties and hundreds of neighborhood action teams—all with their own volunteer leaders—who left no potential Crawford voter uncontacted, found and supported candidates for an astonishing array of local offices, and created ways to ensure that anyone who wanted to help would feel welcome and useful.

In all of this, we’re supported by our friends at the Democratic National Committee, including Chair Ken Martin (thanks for knocking on doors here, supporting our phone banking, and buying those “Wisconsin is not for sale” newspaper ads!); Vice Chair David Hogg; and the DNC staff. Thanks to ASDC Chair Jane Kleeb for coming to knock doors and engaging so many other Democratic state parties to lend a hand. We’re also grateful to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee for their support.

Elections rely on a three-legged stool: the candidate campaigns, the party and volunteers—and allied groups. So many organizations played a huge role in this spring’s victory.

As oligarchs attempt to loot the United States of America, unions are the first line of defense for working people—and the eternal ally and strategic partner of the Democratic Party. Huge thanks to the AFL-CIO, the NEA, WEAC, MTI, and MTEA, SEIU, AFT, AFSCME, IBEW, LiUNA, the Teamsters, the Operating Engineers, UFCW, the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, Plumbers Local 75, UA, IBEW, CWG, the Painters, the Carpenters, IAMAW, SMART Union, CWA, United Steelworkers, the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin, ATU, and the UAW. Solidarity forever.

Huge gratitude to all the groups involved in mounting a dynamite field and communications effort this spring. Particular thanks to America Votes, A Better Wisconsin Together, Badger State Research. Huge thanks to For Our Future; Wisconsin Conservation Voters; the Empower Project; Power to the Polls; the WISCO Project; the Working Families Party of Wisconsin; Indivisible (especially Wisconsin chapters and the Indivisible Chicago Alliance); WISDOM; the Center for Racial and Gender Equity; Raices Accion; Black Leaders Organizing Communities; 350 Wisconsin Action; Citizen Action of Wisconsin; the ACLU; Supermajority; the NAACP; MoveOn; Activate America; Working America; Grassroots Organizing of Western Wisconsin (GROWW); Voces de la Frontera; Tech for Campaigns; Priorities USA; American Bridge 21st Century; and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.

Gratitude also to Common Power, Swing Left, EMILY’s List, Men For Choice, Poder Latinx, Red Wine and Blue, Women Forward, Democracy Labs, Reproductive Freedom for All, Women's March, and Social Security Works, Elect Democratic Women, #VoteProChoice, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, Stand Up America, the American Association of Justice, the Hometown Project, the Toolbox Fund,

Midwest Values PAC, OB-GYN PAC, Solarpunk PAC, the Swing Blue Alliance, Bay Area Coalition, Operation Swing State, and Grassroots Democrats HQ.

Thanks to all of the more than 200,000 people who donated to make this work possible. And thanks to those who helped organize that support, including the Wisconsin Donor Table, the Strategic Victory Fund, the Justice Project; Focus For Democracy; the State and Local Elections Alliance; and so many others.

Progressive communicators were a huge boost. Thanks to the Pod Save America, Crooked Media, and Vote Save America teams, including Jon Lovett for coming to knock doors in Wisconsin; Brian Tyler Cohen, Leigh McGowan, TizzyEnt, and all at CHORUS; the Wisconsin Independent; American Journal News; UpNorthNews; Heartland Signal; Simon Rosenberg and the Hopium Chronicles; Jennifer Rubin, Norm Eisen, and the Contrarian (as well as State Democracy Defenders!); Meidas Touch; Heather Cox Richardson; and so many others.

Countless amazing people played a key role in this win, behind the scenes and in front of them. Some are well known: thanks to Cyndi Lauper, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Fonda, and Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, among so many others. And thanks to Teresa Vilmain, John Stocks, John Miller, Lara Henderson, Matt Ullsvik, Justin Miller, Eric Couto, Kim Rogers, Ben Unger, Grant Williams, Greg Lewis, John Grabel, Meagan Mahaffey, and Mike Tate. This is, of course, a wildly incomplete list—so if you haven’t been named but made a difference, know that what you did was not unseen, and is deeply appreciated.

Every person involved in this fight, and in politics is part of a broader human family. My own family moved mountains to make my own work on this race possible—especially coming during and after the 2024 elections and a race for DNC chair. I’m thankful for my mom Lynn McDonald and stepfather Michael Edwards; to my father Dan Wikler and stepmom Sarah who moved to Madison for two months to lend a hand; and always most of all, I’m impossibly grateful to my wife Beth and kids Mac, Suzy, and Jack. Words can’t express how much you mean to me, and how excited I am to finally real time with you—without an election looming weeks away. I know this has been a lot. You are even more, in all the best ways.

And my kids would want me to also thank Pumpkin, our giant dog. Extra treats for you.

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This period in history can be overwhelmingly bleak, and bleakly overwhelming. But by taking action together, we create hope.

This spring, together, we showed that, even up against the near-limitless fortune of an oligarch, democracy in this country can yet survive.

We have a long fight ahead. But we also have each other. I believe in all of us. And I believe that we will win.

In solidarity,

Ben