Strategists weigh in on Supreme Court race on ‘UpFront’

Republican strategist Bill McCoshen says voters shouldn’t be surprised to see either President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance in Wisconsin campaigning for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel.

“Don’t be surprised if President Trump or JD Vance ends up in Wisconsin sometime in the next two weeks,” McCoshen told “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “I think he does bring in one of those two if he can get them. You need to send a signal to the MAGA base, to the low-propensity voters that propelled Donald Trump and JD Vance to victory in Wisconsin in November. They’ve got to get the signal.”

In-person early voting begins Tuesday ahead of the April 1 election.

“If President Trump or Vice President Vance wants to show up in Wisconsin and campaign for Mr. Schimel, I’ll pack his bags and load them on Air Force One for him,” Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki said in response. “I don’t think anything could help Susan Crawford more than Brad Schimel, who is a partisan Republican and has been throughout his career, and can’t find a single time he’s disappointed Republicans. If he wants to go all the way to the right on this race, that’s not going to go well in what a spring electorate makeup looks like.”

Crawford and Schimel faced off in their only debate last week. Both Zepecki and McCoshen blasted all seven Wisconsin Supreme Court justices for attending.

“I think it’s unseemly,” McCoshen said. “I don’t think they should have been in the hall, let alone standing at a press conference with one of the candidates. It’s not right. You want not only the appearance, but you want absolute impartiality from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That wasn’t the signal that was sent.”

Zepecki agreed.

“I was shocked to learn that all seven justices on the court today were there,” he said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate. It shouldn’t have happened, but you know, here we are.”

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