A complaint was filed against Democrat Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford last week related to a nonprofit’s donor event email touting her winning the April 1 election as a “[c]hance to put two more House seats in play for 2026.”
The complaint was filed by a concerned citizen with the help of the Wisconsin GOP to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, accusing Dane County Circuit Judge Crawford of courting donors with the promise of upholding future Democrat gerrymandering to swipe two U.S. House seats from Republicans.
The complaint points to an email about a “donor advisory briefing” on Jan. 13, in which donors would hear from Crawford and Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Ben Wikler. The email was headlined: “Chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026.”
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“Of course, there are many important state issues that hinge on the outcome, including whether the court reinstates the 1849 law criminalizing abortion,” the email read. “But winning this race could also result in Democrats being able to win two additional US House seats, half the seats needed to win control of the House in 2026.”
A nonprofit that works to boost voter turnout called Focus for Democracy set up the meeting. Aides of Silicon Valley billionaire Reid Hoffman notably helped to organize the event, the New York Times reported. Hoffman a past visitor to Epstein Island, later contributed $250,000 to the race.
The email appeared to reference the two seats are currently held by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) in the 1st Congressional District in southeast Wisconsin and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) in the 3rd Congressional District in the western part of the battleground state — both competitive districts. Republicans hold six of the state’s eight congressional districts, although the Wisconsin is one of the most purple states in the nation.
The complaint specifically details how Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee ruled that “a judge may not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or of others or convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge.”
“It is clear that Focus for Democracy was using Crawford’s ‘prestige’ as a current judge and candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court ‘to advance their private interests.’ While Crawford may not have had control over how the invitation was initially framed, she should and could have declined participation once she saw how the invitation was using her judicial candidacy to advance the organization’s private interests,” the complaint alleges.
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“Crawford’s appearance on this donor briefing call should be investigated by the Judicial Commission to determine what she said to the donors on the call and any promises that were made to potential donors on the call,” the complaint continues. “Her participation appears to have been used to help the nonprofit organization raise funds, which directly conflicts with prior advisory opinions from the Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee.”
Last Wednesday, the Republican Party of Wisconsin announced the complaint against Crawford, stating that it shows “clear promise that fair shakes are thrown out of the window if Crawford is on the State’s highest Court.”
“Susan Crawford has decided to disregard the Judicial Code to get the help of out-of-state liberal megadonors. Make no mistake, Crawford would fight to dismantle all Republican-backed cases and weaponize the court to help Democrats. On April 1, Wisconsin voters will vote for Brad Schimel and reject Crawford’s promise to gerrymander maps in exchange for campaign contributions,” Wisconsin GOP Executive Director Andrew Iverson said in a statement.
Crawford’s campaign did not respond to Breitbart News’s request for comment, but a spokesperson for her told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Crawford “has never publicly or privately commented on congressional redistricting at any time and did not at this meeting.”
Crawford previously told the publication: “I got into the Zoom and introduced myself, told the group why I was running, that I pledged to be fair and impartial, to pursue common sense justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After speaking for a few minutes, I exited the Zoom. I was not there to hear the rest of their agenda.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Judicial Commission told Breitbart News the commission “does not comment on actual or potential complaints made against judicial officials because Commission proceedings are confidential pursuant to state law.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court election is between former conservative Wisconsin Attorney General and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel and Crawford, who previously represented left-wing groups like Planned Parenthood as an attorney. In Wisconsin, state Supreme Court justices serve ten-year terms. While the judicial race is nonpartisan, both sides of the political aisle are heavily invested in the results of the election.
The race also follows a blowout Wisconsin Supreme Court election in 2023, in which liberal-leaning Janet Protasiewicz beat conservative candidate Dan Kelly and flipped the balance of the court, 4-3 majority liberal. Conservatives view the race as a chance to take back the majority once more with the retirement of liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, while Democrats view the battle as a chance to push policy and redraw legislative maps that could ultimately lose Republicans two U.S. House seats and help them close in on the Republican’s slim majority.
“To say that what happens in Wisconsin will not stay in Wisconsin is putting it really mildly,” Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming told Breitbart News in an exclusive phone interview.
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“It could literally mean the success of President Trump’s term. It could literally mean them having the votes to bring impeachment articles against him,” he added. “The implications of what happens in Wisconsin would be a political earthquake for the House of Representatives.”
The race is expected to be even more expensive than the 2023 election, which shattered national spending records for a judicial contest at $56 million and brought in massive out-of-state spending.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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