An election that could tip the ideological balance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is less than one month away, but large numbers of Wisconsinites in a new poll say they don’t know enough about the two candidates who are vying for the job.
The Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday surveyed 864 registered voters between Feb. 19 and Feb. 26 and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. It did not ask people who they plan to vote for in the April 1 election.
But the survey did get at how people feel about Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, the state’s former Republican attorney general. In short, those who know the candidates view them unfavorably, and many voters haven’t heard enough about either to form an opinion.
Among registered voters surveyed, 29 percent had a favorable opinion of Schimel, 32 percent viewed him unfavorably and 38 percent said they don’t know enough. Schimel ran two previous statewide campaigns in Wisconsin, winning his 2014 bid for attorney general and narrowly losing his 2018 campaign.
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For Crawford, who is running her first statewide campaign, 19 percent viewed her favorably compared to 23 percent unfavorably and 58 percent saying they don’t have enough information.
Among those who reported being enthusiastic and likely to vote on April 1, 42 percent of respondents had a favorable opinion of Schimel, while 33 percent had a favorable opinion of Crawford.
Charles Franklin, who directs the Marquette poll, said there will be a lot of advertising between now and election day that will influence many of the undecided voters.
“It’s a long time away, and I think trying to handicap the race this far out with this much awareness isn’t a great idea,” Franklin said. “At this point, many voters simply don’t know enough to choose.”
Schimel launched his campaign early, announcing his run in November 2023. Crawford entered the Supreme Court race in June 2024. While the race is officially nonpartisan, the state Republican and Democratic parties have contributed millions of dollars in direct transfers to their preferred candidates.
Wisconsin’s last Supreme Court race in 2023 set a national record for total spending. All told, an estimated $56 million was spent in the race that saw former Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeat former conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly by 11 percentage points. This year’s race is widely expected to cost even more.
Elon Musk, DOGE more unpopular than President Donald Trump
Among all registered voters, just more than half, or 53 percent, had an unfavorable opinion of Elon Musk and 41 percent viewed him favorably.
Musk has been an integral part of the Trump administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which has initiated widespread federal funding freezes, cancelled foreign aid contracts authorized by Congress and fired thousands of federal employees.
When accounting for partisanship, 81 percent of Republican voters had a favorable view of Musk while 97 percent of Democrats had an unfavorable opinion. Among independents, 58 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion of Musk, while 29 percent said the opposite.
President Donald Trump fared better than Musk in the Marquette poll, with 48 percent of all registered voters saying they approve of the job he’s doing thus far in his second term and 51 percent saying they disapprove. Nearly all Republicans gave Trump high marks and nearly all Democrats said they disapprove of how he’s handling the presidency.
“There is a little bit of reservation among Republicans compared to how much they approve of Trump,” Franklin said, though he said Musk’s support among Republicans is “pretty solid, generally.”
Musk’s actions have drawn the ire of many Wisconsinites who have voiced their concerns to members of the state’s Congressional delegation at recent in-person and virtual town halls. Democratic delegation members like U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin have referred to moves by Musk and Trump as a “coup” and an “insurrection.”
The Marquette poll asked voters whether they feel DOGE is carrying out Trump’s agenda or disrupting federal programs. Among all of the respondents, 53 percent said DOGE is disrupting programs, while 47 percent said it is carrying out the Trump administration’s agenda.
Republicans in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation have defended DOGE as working quickly to root out federal fraud and waste. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson referred to Musk as one of the most “brilliant, accomplished, effective human beings that have ever walked on planet Earth.”
Musk has gotten heavily involved in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race this year with third-party groups he backs spending millions of dollars in ads attacking Crawford and through posts to his social media platform X calling on Republicans to support Schimel.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin launched a “seven-figure” ad campaign it calls “People v. Musk” that aims to tie Schimel to the polarizing billionaire.
Voters view Republican Party more favorably than Democratic Party
When asked about how they feel about the nation’s two major political parties, the majority of registered voters had more favorable views about the GOP than the Democratic Party.
Among all registered voters, opinions on the Republican Party were nearly split, with 47 percent viewing it favorably and 52 percent viewing it unfavorably.
The margins for the Democratic Party were far worse, with 62 percent of all registered voters saying they had an unfavorable opinion and just 34 percent having a favorable view. Even among Democrats themselves, 19 percent reported having an unfavorable opinion of their party. Just 8 percent of Republicans said the same about the GOP.
Franklin said the negative numbers for Democrats likely reflect having spent the past few years under an unpopular president who hurt their party in the November election.
“They’re blamed for the losses in the fall, and they’re blamed for not responding to Trump, at least within the Democratic coalition,” Franklin said. “So, I don’t think this is really surprising, but it is striking.”
Voters even less familiar with candidates for state superintendent
A majority of voters said they were unfamiliar with candidates for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, the other race on the April 1 ballot.
Among all registered voters, 64 percent said they don’t have an opinion of current Superintendent Jill Underly, who has held the job since 2021, while 71 percent didn’t have an opinion of challenger Brittany Kinser.
Of those who did have opinions on the candidates, 16 percent said they have a favorable view of Underly with 20 percent saying they have an unfavorable view. For Kinser, it was 16 percent favorable and 13 percent unfavorable.
Majority of voters think Act 10 should be struck down
With a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a law restricting collective bargaining rights for most public workers making its way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Marquette poll found a majority of respondents think the law signed in 2011 should be struck down.
Among all registered voters, 54 percent said Act 10 should be struck down, while 42 percent said the law should be upheld. Even among those identifying as Republicans, 34 percent said Act 10 should go, while 62 percent said it should be upheld. Among Democrats, 17 percent said the law should be upheld, while 76 percent said it should be struck down.
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