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5 takeaways from Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Florida special elections

4 1
02.04.2025

Democrats scored a critical win Tuesday in their first major test at the ballot box since President Trump took office in January.

The elections came amid growing anger over the Trump’s administration’s immigration and economic policies, its handling of free speech, and the federal cuts made under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The night served in part as a referendum on Musk, who has played an outsized role in the administration and poured millions of dollars into the Wisconsin race.

Meanwhile, Democrats sought to make inroads in the president’s home state of Florida, where two special House elections emerged as last-minute sleeper races that had some Republicans on edge.

While Republicans were able to hold onto the Florida seats, Democrats ultimately had cause for celebration in the Sunshine State.

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday night’s elections.

A bitter night for Trump and Musk in Wisconsin

Trump and Musk had a tough night in Wisconsin, a battleground state that the president won by less than a percentage point in November, pointing to possible trouble ahead for the administration as it looks toward the midterms.

Both men endorsed Brad Schimel, a former GOP state attorney general, though it was Musk who became deeply invested in the race in the weeks leading up to the election. His America PAC spent $12.5 million alone in the race, and Musk himself traveled to the Badger State on the Sunday before the election.

Democrats, who supported liberal candidate Susan Crawford, sought to harness anger toward Musk as a way to gin up their base — efforts that ultimately proved successful, as Crawford won decisively.

The election offers a warning sign for Republicans that Musk could be politically toxic in other key elections. Democratic candidates running in elections later this November and next year have already started to hammer Musk in their messaging.

But the results are also an embarrassment........

© The Hill