Ben Wikler on National Implications of Crawford's Victory

Frederica Freyberg:
It seemed like the whole world was watching Wisconsin and its Supreme Court election this past Tuesday. How does the victory for liberal Judge Susan Crawford inform the political direction more broadly going forward? We check in with chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Ben Wikler, and thanks very much for being here.

Ben Wikler:
Thanks for having me, Frederica.

Frederica Freyberg:
So were you expecting a ten-point lead for Susan Crawford?

Ben Wikler:
I was not. You know, the Republicans, Elon Musk, the whole kind of right-wing machine poured more money into this race than we’ve ever seen in any judicial election in American history. And it seemed hard to believe they didn’t have a theory behind it. As it turned out, they did drive up their turnout. They won enough votes to defeat Janet Protasiewicz in 2023. They hit their target. It’s just that the number of votes for Susan Crawford was so much more. This was a combination of an amazing candidate with a superb campaign and full support from the party and all the different allied groups. Also, Elon Musk personally inserting himself in a way that I think incited more people to vote against Brad Schimel than for Brad Schimel. And then on top of all that, there’s a rage in the electorate right now about what’s happening to this country. The sense that our, our Constitution is being ripped to shreds, that Social Security is under attack. Things that should be politically off limits are being torn to pieces by Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the Republicans. And I think that expressed itself in a margin of victory that not only says something about this race and people’s preference for the integrity of Susan Crawford over what they saw in Brad Schimel, but also the direction of politics in this whole national moment.

Frederica Freyberg:
When you saw Elon Musk in Green Bay, up on stage with a cheesehead. What was going through your head?

Ben Wikler:
Well, first of all, I thought, that’s not your cheesehead buddy. Secondly, it felt to me like Wisconsin can’t fall for this. Surely it can’t fall for this. This is the richest man in the world who is pulling money out of the pockets of people all over our state. They just fired everyone involved in the low-income home heating program. These are programs that help people stay warm in the winter in Wisconsin, that they’re dismantling to fund extra tax cuts for people like Elon Musk. So that’s happening with one hand. The other hand is holding $1 million novelty check. It was such a transparent attempt to buy our election and our democracy in order to enrich the already ultra wealthy at the expense of working people, that it felt like — I hoped with all my being that it would backfire. As it turned out, it backfired big time.

Frederica Freyberg:
How do Democrats intend to trade on the Trump agenda going forward?

Ben Wikler:
Well, unfortunately, there’s a huge amount to run against, and Democrats can simply say what we’re for. We believe in a country that works for working people, not just for the ultra-wealthy. We believe every person should have basic freedoms and dignity and respect, and that creates a gigantic contrast with an administration that seems intent on torpedoing the entire economy. And then, you know, carving out chunks of special favors for the wealthy friends of the president as though he’s a mob boss dividing up the spoils. This is a totally catastrophic administration that seems to be intent on steering us into a recession. And all the Republicans in Congress and in the Senate, they seem to chicken about mean tweets from Trump and Elon Musk, or maybe primary challenges to do anything about it. So there’s going to be a wave. You can already feel it building. You could see the first cresting of that wave in Wisconsin on Tuesday. But I think it’s going to sweep this whole country for these next two years and probably the next four years, because they’re so, so bad at this right now. And Democrats actually believe in, in making government work for people.

Frederica Freyberg:
What kind of advice do you have for Democrats nationally to replicate what happened in Wisconsin this week?

Ben Wikler:
Well, first, what Susan Crawford did, I think, is really a model. She was crystal clear at every stop. She would say, “I never dreamed as a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, that I’d be up against the richest man in the world.” She made the case about her integrity by telling her life story about growing up with a sibling with special needs, who she took care of. A protective instinct. Her work as a prosecutor and then working in state government. Then in private practice defending Planned Parenthood, which drew a contrast on abortion, which is still a very powerful issue in our state. I think a lot of states. And then as a judge, how she treated everyone equally, who walked into her courtroom, and then the contrast was corruption. So it wasn’t just that Brad Schimel was very far right wing and supported the abortion ban. It was also the corruption of giving special favors to his campaign contributors and Elon Musk and Trump are sort of guaranteeing that every Republican in Washington gets caught in that swirl of corruption right now. The message about who’s serving the ultra-rich and who’s serving regular folks. That ties into a question of character. And I think for Democrats being clear about their character, about their values, about who they’re going to work for and fight for and then drawing a clear contrast with the other side, not wavering or backing down or cowering. That actually is a model I think will work well. People want to see candidates who are ready to fight for things that most Americans believe in. And I think that’s what Democrats can offer.

Frederica Freyberg:
What is your comment on being a part of the most expensive court race in U.S. history?

Ben Wikler:
My comment is it is long past time for campaign finance reform. This is preposterous. And I say that, you know, the Democrats have outraised Republicans in our state party for most of the last bunch of years. And I was saying that even then, it’s part of our state party platform very clearly. If Democrats regain control, let’s clean up our politics. And if Republicans would like to actually join Democrats to do that, let’s get started together. But this idea that the richest people in the world should blunder in, hand out million dollar checks and try to buy our democracy. It’s an affront to the idea of a country where the people are supposed to rule, not the power of wealth. And we have a lot of work to do to create a change.

Frederica Freyberg:
Ben Wikler, thanks very much.

Ben Wikler:
Thanks so much.