Former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel leads leftist Dane County Judge Susan Crawford by 5 points in the state Supreme Court race, according to a new poll by the Institute for Reforming Government. Schimel leads Crawford 40% to 35% with 23% undecided, according to the poll.
The poll was released on Jan. 30. It comes as Crawford’s liberal record on crime, Act 10, and Voter ID is coming under increasing scrutiny.
The poll also found that voters support the candidate who supports Act 10 by a 47% to 37% margin. That bodes poorly for Crawford, who fought in court to overturn Act 10 as a private lawyer and “bragged” about it. It also comes on the same day that two conservative justices accused their liberal colleagues of trying to fast-track an Act 10 appeal in a quest to overturn it. Schimel was a Republican Attorney General and former Waukesha County District Attorney who is currently a Waukesha County Judge.
The poll also found that voters care about electing a candidate who is tough on crime. We’ve been scrutinizing Crawford’s record as a judge, including her handling of a child rapist’s case; she freed Curtis O’Brien on a $500 signature bond and then gave him such a short prison sentence that he’s already out. She also gave early-release eligibility to a gunman who shot a man outside Famous Dave’s and quickly reoffended.
“The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) is continuing its public polling project in 2025, conducting a poll on issues related to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In its latest poll, Brad Schimel has an early edge in the 2025 Supreme Court Race. Throughout 2024, IRG provided valuable insight during the 2024 election season,” a press release says.
According to IRG:
- 91% of voters want Justices to make decisions based on the Constitution and law, not their own political preferences
- 52% intend to select the candidate that cares about issues important to them, 27% chose tough on crime
- Voters remain focused on reigning in the power of the bureaucracy with 32% saying that the legislature should make important policy decisions and only 8% favoring bureaucrats at state agencies
- 76% of voters believe voters and their elected officials should have a chance to overturn regulations
- Strong majority favor abortion up to 20 weeks rather than upholding a law that bans all abortions
- Voters do not favor mobile voting units, a combined 49% think they create a risk of election fraud and give an to some candidates
- Nearly 50% don’t approve of the liberal Supreme Court reversing the recent drop box ruling, which made drop boxes legal just before the 2020 election
The poll was conducted by Napolitan News Service and surveyed 800 Registered Voters conducted from January 17-21, 2025 with a +/- 3.5% margin of error, the press release states.
