Liberal Susan Crawford, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate, poses for a photo with supporters dressed up as judges, on the campus of University of Wisconsin Madison on the day of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S., April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Vincent Alban
Democrats applauded an "important win" on CNN as progressive judge Susan Crawford sailed to victory late Tuesday in Wisconsin's much-anticipated State Supreme Court race, defeating Elon Musk-backed conservative Brad Schimel.
Ashley Allison, a prominent political strategist who held key roles in both the Obama and Biden administrations, called Crawford's victory an "important win for Democrats in Wisconsin," but warned Democrats not to read too much into the result."
"It's not an indicator of where the overall country is in terms of political alignment," she told panelists.
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Even so, she called it a "testament that when you continue to organize, you have a clear message you can win campaigns" and Democrats, she said, "need to remember that." Allison urged her party to continue cultivating their message in New Jersey and Virginia, which also have high-stakes elections this year.
Democrats' performance in Florida, despite their losses, also gave reason for optimism, she said, where two candidates fared better than expected in an area they don't plan to "flip back in 2028."
The data will give Democrats much to chew on, she said, looking at the voters who showed up this year and accounted for the difference between Tuesday night and November's election.
Scott Jennings, who worked on various Republican campaigns, including Bush-Cheney and Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, agreed with Allison's assessment and warned the GOP is a "party of low-propensity voters now."
"Did any of them actually show up in any of these races in Florida or Wisconsin? Or was it largely they just kept on doing what they've been doing, which is showing up for Donald Trump and nothing else. That's one thing to be studied."
Later in the segment, Jennings called out "low-propensity voters," and said Republicans' ongoing challenge continues to be getting them to turn out for anyone not named Trump.
"That is an equation that Republicans have to solve for," he said. "I don't think it's going to be an issue in '28, but look, you got a mid-term between now and then. It will be an issue."
Meanwhile, former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes told panelists the race was a "referendum on Elon Musk."
"He was brought up ad nauseam throughout the campaign," said Barnes. "This election for sure."
He said Democrats have a "long road" ahead in terms of messaging, appeal and approach, cautioning they are "nowhere near out of the woods" and warning the Virginia and New Jersey races will be "completely different."
Watch the clip below or at this link.