MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Ad wars in the hotly contested race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court are beginning. Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel is launching a $1.1 million television ad buy statewide on Tuesday, marking the first spending on TV ads in the closely watched race in the presidential swing state. Schimel, a Waukesha County judge, faces Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford in the race for an open seat on the state’s highest court. The election is April 1. If Crawford wins, liberals will maintain their 4-3 majority until at least 2028. If Schimel wins, conservatives will win back the majority they lost in 2023. The race that year shattered national spending records in a judicial contest, with more than $51 million spent on both sides, based on a tally by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. The group, which tracks spending on campaigns, is estimating that a new record will be set this year. The two candidates in this year’s race have raised more money so far than at the same point in the 2023 campaign. Crawford last week reported raising $2.8 million from individual donors since getting into the race, compared with $2.2 million for Schimel. Spending by outside groups, including the Democratic and Republican parties, is expected to far exceed what the candidates spend. Races for Wisconsin Supreme Court are officially nonpartisan, but partisan interests line up behind their preferred candidates. The Wisconsin Democratic Party has endorsed Crawford, and Schimel is a former Republican attorney general who supports President-elect Donald Trump. Schimel served one term from 2015 to 2019. The liberal-controlled court delivered a major win to Democrats in 2023 by striking down Republican-drawn legislative maps. Pending cases backed by liberals seek to protect abortion access in the state and impede Republican attempts to oust the state’s nonpartisan elections leader. A looming fight over the future of public sector union rights also has intensified interest in the Supreme Court race. Schimel’s ad that launches on Tuesday will run on broadcast and cable TV in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse and Wausau, his campaign said Monday. The winner of the April 1 election will serve a 10-year term.
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