Unprecedented for a Wisconsin Supreme Court Election
Democrats nationwide are pouring resources into an expansive campaign to elect Susan Crawford, a liberal Dane County judge, to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, an election that could cement the court’s 4-3 liberal majority for the next decade.
It’s the latest example of how activists across the United States are working to get Crawford on Wisconsin’s highest court.
The Grassroots Democrats HQ is orchestrating this effort with a virtual phone bank on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. PDT, rallying volunteers from every state to contact Wisconsin voters ahead of the critical April 1, 2025, election.
Crawford, a Dane County Circuit Court judge, is the focus of this push, hosted on the Mobilize platform under event ID 760456. The Grassroots Democrats HQ posting states: “With hundreds of thousands of college students in Wisconsin, we have to make sure the #YouthVote is heard. Help us protect the future of our Youth by helping HOLD the 4-3 liberal majority this April!“
There is no reason to believe the groups will only attempt to contact college students or young voters.
The event is held in partnership with WisDems, Voters of Tomorrow, College Democrats of America, Blue Future, Young Democrats of America, High School Democrats of America, College Democrats of Wisconsin, Young Democrats of Wisconsin, Northwestern University College Democrats, College Democrats of Illinois, Illini Democrats, Union College Young Democrats, College Democrats of New York, Michigan College Democrats, Wayne State University College Democrats,Harvard College Democrats, and Rice University Democrats.
Volunteers from anywhere on the planet could dial in via Zoom to launch their effort to influence an April judicial election in the midwest. According to the event listed on mobilize, the start time was listed using the Pacific Time Zone, two hours removed from Wisconsin.
The event is hosted by DNC Vice Chair and gun control advocate David Hogg and environmental activist, Adam Met, a adjunct professor at Columbia University where he teaches courses on sustainability and climate policy, Met is also the founder of Planet Reimagined, Inc, and co-founder of the indie pop band AJR.
Previous national call efforts such as this typically will have organizers provide a script, voter lists, and all necessary tools during the session. After signing up, callers receive a confirmation email from with the Zoom link and additional instructions.
The Grassroots Democrats HQ, founded in 2019, boasts that it has contacted 20 million voters nationwide. Its mission is to elect Democrats at every level.
Wisconsin’s swing-state status heightens the stakes. The April 1 election’s outcome could influence the court for a decade, especially with potential challenges to Republican-favored legislative maps looming.
Crawford participated in a Jan. 13 donor briefing organized by the liberal group Focus for Democracy. An email invitation to the event, titled “Chance to put two more House seats in play for 2026,” featured Crawford alongside Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler who recently failed in his attempt to become chair of the Democratic National Committee. The New York Times reported that the call was organized by LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman, raising concerns among Republicans that Crawford’s potential victory could very well lead to a court-ordered redistricting favoring Democrats.
Tuesday’s national phone bank targets undecided voters and aims to boost turnout, leveraging tactics refined in tight partisan races nationwide.
The event’s virtual nature allows broad participation, to allow callers from anywhere on Earth to influence Wisconsin residents to vote for Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.
Although groups that participate in GOTV efforts in the state must report their expenditures, by law, the scope and scale of participation by global efforts such as this one is practically untraceable and uncrackable by campaign finance reports.
