(The Center Square) – Just days after announcing record fundraising hauls, the spending has begun in Wisconsin’s race for Supreme Court.
Conservative Judge Brad Schimel announced his campaign is buying more than $1 million in ads.
“The seven-figure, statewide buy comes after the campaign raised a historic $2.2 million since Judge Schimel’s entrance into the race – a testament to the grassroots support and momentum behind Schimel’s campaign. In the past six months alone, the campaign raised $1.5 million – more than five times the amount of the previous conservative candidate during this period,” Schimel’s campaign said in a statement.
The new ad, titled Schimel for Justice, will air on TV in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Wausau and La Crosse.
It went up on YouTube Tuesday.
“I’m Brad Schimel, and justice is my life’s work,” Schimel said in the ad. “Justice. For me, it’s not a title. It’s my mission statement.”
Schimel’s $1.1 million ad buy is in addition to the $1.6 million in ads that Americans For Prosperity announced last week.
Those ads are set to run on places like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Liberal Judge Susan Crawford’s campaign has not yet announced any ad buys of their own.
Crawford reported a $2.8 million fundraising total for 2024.
A Better Wisconsin is running ads, saying it spent “mid-six-figures” on issue ads targeting Schimel.
A Better Wisonisn’s ad on abortion accuses Schimel of wanting “to take Wisconsin back to the 1800s.”
The ads are just the beginning of what could be a very expensive four-month race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The last race, in 2023, cost more than $50 million.
Some court watchers say there’s a potential for this race to get close to $100 million.
Schimel and Crawford are running to replace longtime liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.