Talking Points': Susan Crawford vs. Brad Schimel
Topline Message
Judge Crawford is a common sense judge who has always been guided by the same basic values she learned growing up in Chippewa Falls. She believes in doing the right thing, she has fought to protect our rights and freedoms, and she’ll be the fair and impartial Justice Wisconsin needs on the State Supreme Court.
As a former prosecutor and a judge, she understands that we need Supreme Court Justices who know what it takes to keep communities safe, who are fair and impartial, who will use common sense, and who won’t politicize the constitution in an effort to take away our most basic rights.
She has taken on some of the state’s toughest criminal cases - and has made sure violent criminals are sent to prison and that our communities are safe.
She has upheld our constitution, enforced our laws, and protected our freedoms. As an attorney, she took on tough cases and won, including cases that protected voting rights, access to reproductive healthcare, workers’ rights, and more. She has always put the people of Wisconsin first and will continue to do that as our next Supreme Court Justice.
For the first time in years, we have a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court that’s following the facts and following the law – and delivering on the promise of a fair and impartial justice system. We can’t risk losing that majority and having all of our progress reversed.
Contrast Message:
While Judge Crawford has dedicated her career to protecting the rights of Wisconsinites and being a fair, impartial public servant, Brad Schimel, her opponent, is an extreme politician who will use his power to force his own political agenda on Wisconsin. He supports banning all abortion, with no exceptions, he ignored a massive backlog of untested sexual assault kits – keeping dangerous predators on the street and delaying justice for victims. He has even failed to hold sexual predators accountable, routinely cutting deals to let them off the hook and even blaming underage victims instead of the criminals who harmed them.
Brad Schimel’s agenda is too dangerous and too extreme for Wisconsin:
Brad Schimel has a clear record of opposing reproductive rights. He supports enforcing Wisconsin's 1849 criminal abortion ban which would make abortion illegal in nearly every case. As attorney general, he wasted over $1 million defending extreme anti-abortion policies and tried to sue to make it tougher for Wisconsinites to access contraception.
Brad Schimel failed victims in Wisconsin and refused to prioritize public safety. Under his watch, thousands of sexual assault kits remained untested, leading to serious delays that kept heinous criminals on the streets instead of behind bars.
Brad Schimel is an extreme partisan. As attorney general he defended the Republican gerrymandered maps, supported new limits on voting, and sued to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Susan Crawford Bio
As a prosecutor, private-practice attorney, and now as a Judge, Susan Crawford has always believed in protecting the basic rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites. She has a deep understanding of our justice system and knows how important it is to have Supreme Court justices who understand how to keep communities safe, who are fair and impartial, and who will reject efforts to politicize the constitution to undermine our most basic rights.
Judge Crawford’s career began as an Assistant Attorney General with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, where she took on some of the state’s toughest criminal cases. She prosecuted hundreds of tough cases, holding criminals accountable and enforcing our laws. As the director of criminal appeals, she built strong relationships with prosecutors, public defenders, and victim advocates in every corner of Wisconsin.
After serving as a prosecutor for nearly a decade, she continued her public service in leadership positions at multiple state agencies, including the Department of Corrections and Department of Natural Resources, before being named chief legal counsel to the governor. Following her service in state government, Judge Crawford became a private practice attorney, where she protected voting and workers’ rights, and represented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to defend access to reproductive health care.
Today, Judge Crawford sits on Dane County Circuit Court Branch 1. As a judge, she has presided over tough trials, including homicide, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases. She has always prioritized following the law and getting the facts right in every case to ensure everyone appearing in her courtroom receives a fair and impartial trial.
Growing up in Chippewa Falls, Judge Crawford is rooted in Wisconsin values, including common sense, responsibility, and honesty. She and her husband Shawn chose to raise their family here in Wisconsin, too. Susan and Shawn live in Madison and are proud parents to two young adults.
