Liberal Judge's Win in Wisconsin a Blow to Trump and Musk

Her election to state's Supreme Court comes despite Musk's attempts to sway vote

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WASHINGTON - Mr. Donald Trump's second presidency was dealt a spinning blow by voters in Wisconsin on April 1 as they elected a liberal to the state's Supreme Court, despite his powerful adviser Elon Musk pouring millions into the race to sway the polls.

Two months into his barnstorming return to the White House, Mr. Trump celebrated victory in a pair of House races in Florida which remained in Republican hands.

But in the first real electoral test of his polarizing presidency, his all-out effort to lodge a new Republican on the Wisconsin Supreme Court fell flat, as liberal judge Susan Crawford came out ahead of the Trump-backed Brad Schimel, according to US media.

Mr. Trump seemed to ignore the results, highlighting a separate Wisconsin ballot initiative requiring voters to show photo identification to cast a ballot.

"Voter ID just approved in Wisconsin election... this is a big win for Republicans, maybe the biggest win of the night," he posted on Truth Social late on April 1.

Mr. Musk, who has spearheaded Mr. Trump's attempts to gut much of the US government in a right-wing cost-cutting drive, went himself to Wisconsin to drum up support for Mr. Schimel.

"It's like one of those strange situations where a seemingly small election would determine the fate of Western civilization here?" Mr. Musk said in a discussion on his social media platform X on April 1.