Democrat Megadonors funnel millions into Wisconsin Supreme Court race to gerrymander new districts

THE LOWDOWN:

• Democrat megadonors, including Reid Hoffman and George Soros, are funneling millions of dollars into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race.

• The donors are supporting liberal Judge Susan Crawford as she runs against Republican AG Brad Schimel for the seat.

• An email obtained by the Washington Reporter revealed that Democratic groups like Focus for Democracy and Investing in US are eager to use this upcoming election to redraw the state’s congressional maps.

• RNC spokesperson Rachel Reisner told the Reporter, “Soros’s money means one thing for Wisconsin: BAD news.”

Democratic billionaires are funneling millions of dollars into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, as activists promise that if the liberal candidate wins, there is a “chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026” via new congressional maps being drawn.

The latest campaign finance records, reviewed by the Washington Reporter, reveal that megadonors like George Soros, Reid Hoffman, and Gov. JB Pritzker (D., Ill.) are pouring millions of dollars into the coffers of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which is in turn sending millions to liberal Judge Susan Crawford’s campaign.

Donations from Soros, Pritzker, and Hoffman — an associate of Jeffrey Epstein —​​ accounted for over 40 percent of the $4 million in individual contributions received by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in recent weeks. While President Donald Trump narrowly carried Wisconsin in 2024, the state sent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.) back to Washington in another nail-biter — and Democratic groups like Focus for Democracy and Investing in U.S. are eager to use this upcoming election to redraw the state’s congressional maps.

“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,” the group wrote in an email obtained by the Reporter.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) told the Reporter that his state’s upcoming elections have consequences that will reach far beyond the Badger State’s borders. “Should the Wisconsin Supreme Court retain a liberal majority, that Court would legislate from the bench by overturning conservative gains like Act 10, Voter ID, and gerrymandering congressional districts that could cost us the Republican majority in the House. Without voter ID and other election integrity measures, Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes may never again be awarded to a Republican presidential candidate. This crucial election has national impacts and will require national support.”

Rep. Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), whose seat could be drastically redrawn if Crawford wins, told the Reporter that he doesn’t “want Wisconsin to operate like Illinois.”

“If the Democratic Governor of Illinois is directly or indirectly donating to Wisconsin candidates, it tells you all you need to know,” Steil said. “[Republican Brad] Schimel stands for common sense his opponent wants to reshape Wisconsin as the next Illinois.”

Schimel, the Republican candidate, was formerly the state’s Attorney General, and has previously penned op-eds in the Reporter about President Joe Biden’s controversial commutations of 37 death sentences as he headed out the door of the White House.

The Soros connection is raising eyebrows on the national level, with Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesperson Rachel Reisner telling the Reporter, “Dangerous defund-the-police billionaire George Soros is trying to buy Susan Crawford a seat on the Supreme Court.”

“Soros’s money means one thing for Wisconsin: BAD news,” she continued. “A vote for a Soros candidate is a vote to destroy Wisconsin — attacking our freedoms, defunding police, abolishing ICE, and every far-left policy Wisconsinites can think of.”

The involvement of Soros and other megadonors is already causing controversy on a local level. "George and Alex Soros have spent years funding progressive candidates in district attorney and judicial races, so it’s no surprise they are now trying to influence a Supreme Court race in Wisconsin,” Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney told the Reporter. “Voters should know that their preferred candidates often act more like defense attorneys, coddling criminals instead of standing with crime victims, supporting law enforcement, and upholding the rule of law. That’s exactly why the Soros network is backing liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford."

Daniel Suhr, a Milwaukee-area attorney, told the Reporter that “Soros’s engagement, along with that of Reid Hoffman and other Dem-aligned billionaires nationwide, shows the tremendous importance of this race.” Suhr added that Crawford herself is connected to the efforts to use this race to flip two House seats. “Crawford recently participated in a donor call pitched as placing two U.S. House seats up for grabs if the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturns the state's congressional maps — clearly, liberal donors nationwide are hearing and heeding that suggestion."