Hey, y’all, it’s been a while since we’ve had to think about elections, but we have a handful of crucial elections that demand national attention — and that’s no April Fool’s joke.
We’ve written a ton in the last couple of weeks about the special election for a state supreme court seat in Wisconsin. You might think it’s not a big deal if you don’t live there, but this could be a bellwether election. This race for a seat on the state’s highest court pits Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who is an avowed leftist, against former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel.
It’s tough to overstate how big this election is. Crawford was a Planned Parenthood attorney, so we can confidently know how she’ll rule on abortion cases. She would also rule as a far-left activist judge on any number of cases. Electing Schmiel would tilt the court’s balance to a 4-3 conservative majority.
“The Badger State must now choose between a judge who will protect the state by ruling fairly and a far-left partisan activist,” I wrote on Monday. “The stakes are too high to get this one wrong.”
My congressman, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), explains why this election is so important:
Why Wisconsin matters TODAY.
I spent a lot of time and money campaigning to elect a House majority for President Trump last year.
If Susan Crawford wins, Democrats will disproportionately redraw congressional maps in WI to eliminate GOP seats. This race will have a ripple…
— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) April 1, 2025
Wisconsin also has a ballot question regarding voter ID requirements and a race for state school superintendent.
Related: The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher in Wisconsin’s April 1 Special Election
Florida has two House races as well today. In the 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, voters will choose who will fill vacant seats. The 1st District was once Matt Gaetz’s seat, and Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is facing off against Democrat Gay Valimont, who lost to Gaetz in 2024. The 6th District race to replace Michael Waltz, who became President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, pits State Sen. Randy Fine (R-19th District) against schoolteacher Josh Weil. Incidentally, the 6th was once Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R-Fla.) seat.
The two districts should be safe GOP seats, but Democrats have poured insane amounts of money to try to sway either or both seats to the left. Trump has endorsed both GOP candidates, and Elon Musk has pumped some cash into the races as well.
PJ Media’s Rick Moran pointed out that these two races reflect the tricky nature of state party politics.
“Patronis may very well win by double digits (in a district Trump won by more than 30 points),” Rick wrote this morning. “But Fine’s campaign has been plagued by GOP infighting, with Fine having ruffled the feathers of Gov. Ron DeSantis by changing his endorsement to Trump before the Florida primary last year.”
The Republicans’ chances to win both seats will come down to turnout and voter engagement. Hopefully, Sunshine State conservatives will turn out in enough force to win these elections. With the GOP’s razor-thin majority, retaining both seats is essential.
Polls close in Florida at 7 p.m. local time, which is 7 p.m. Eastern in the 6th District and 8 p.m. Eastern in the 1st District. In Wisconsin, polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Check back throughout the evening for the most up-to-date results courtesy of our friends at DecisionDeskHQ:
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