(The Center Square) – The abortion debate in Wisconsin’s next race for the state supreme court is now set, just a day after a Dane County judge jumped into the race.
Judge Susan Crawford announced her campaign Monday.
“I am running for Supreme Court justice to protect the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites under our constitution. Those rights are threatened by an all-out effort to politicize the court to drive a right-wing agenda,” Crawford said in a statement.
Crawford is running to replace the retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley next year.
“For the first time in years, we have a majority on the court focused on getting the facts right, following the law, and protecting our constitutional rights,” Crawford said. “We can’t risk having that progress reversed.”
Supreme court candidate Waukesha County Judge Brad Schmimmel said Crawford is following the Justice Janet Protasiewicz strategy of politicizing the race and smearing him on his views on abortion.
“They came out on this and ‘Criticized Brad Shcimmel for his support of the 1849 abortion ban.’ I’ve never made any statement regarding the 1849 abortion ban,” Schimmel told News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber on Tuesday. “All I’ve ever said, all I’ve ever promised anyone in my campaign for Supreme Court is I will defend Wisconsin law, I will respect the will of the people, [and] I will respect the separation of powers.”
Schimmel said Crawford is the “perfect radical” for the Left because of her past work representing Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin.
Crawford spent years in state government under former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, eventually becoming his chief legal counsel. In her private practice work she challenged Wisconsin’s abortion laws, Wisconsin’s voter ID law and Act 10.
Schimmel said he expects Crawford to try and scare voters about what a return to a conservative supreme court majority could mean.
But most of all, he expects Crawford and Wisconsin Democrats to focus largely on the still unsettled question of abortion in the state.
“They’re playing games with people on this,” Schimmel added. “The Wisconsin Supreme Court leftist-majority, they promised that they’re going to strike down the 1849 law. They’ve had the majority now for coming up on a year and haven’t done it yet. The case is in front of them. They don’t want to fix this problem, in their minds because they want this issue to divide people.”
Wisconsin’s last race for the supreme court cost over $50 million. Schimmel and other expect next year’s race to cost as much, if not more.
