A special election to fill a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which will determine whether the court retains its liberal majority or flips back to a conservative one, is set for April 1 and could become one of the most expensive judicial races in state history with significant contributions and spending on both sides.

Backing the Republican-aligned candidate in the ostensibly nonpartisan race, Brad Schimel, is tech billionaire Elon Musk through his political action committee and another outside conservative group he's funded in the past, according to The Hill.

The financial muscle isn't just on one side, however, as the Democrat-aligned candidate, Susan Crawford, has drawn monetary support from progressive billionaires George Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, as well as from various other left-wing advocacy groups.

Musk wades into Wisconsin judicial election

In late January, in response to election law concerns raised in connection to the outcome of the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Musk posted on X, "Very important to vote Republican for the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent voting fraud!"

Musk has since put his money where his mouth is, as his America PAC recently contributed $1 million for ads in the race, per The Hill.

The outlet further noted that another PAC that Musk has financially backed in the past, Building America's Future, has spent a couple of million on ads backing Schimel and opposing Crawford, and other wealthy conservatives and right-wing groups have similarly contributed to the race.

Meanwhile, Crawford has received just as much financial support from left-wing billionaires like Soros and Gov. Pritzker, among other wealthy leftists, along with several progressive PACs and Democrat-aligned advocacy groups.

Massive money raised and spent by both sides

According to the Associated Press, it is believed that the spending by both sides in this year's Wisconsin Supreme Court race could exceed the record $51 million spent in the 2023 race that flipped the state's highest court from a conservative to a liberal majority for the first time in more than a decade.

Indeed, per the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the two candidates combined have already raised more than $12.3 million and spent at least $6.8 million, with Crawford leading Schimel by a two-to-one margin in that regard.

At the same time, at least 12 different PACs and interest groups have reportedly spent a combined $11.5 million thus far on ads either supporting or attacking one candidate or the other. Notably, that is only the spending that has been officially disclosed, and that figure will undoubtedly rise over the next month.

It's (D)ifferent when Democrats do it

Unsurprisingly, candidate Crawford, joined by Democrats and the media, has made a huge deal out of Musk making contributions in support of Schimel and has accused the tech billionaire of attempting to "buy" a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to ensure favorable rulings for conservatives and Republicans in the coming months and years.

Yet, as a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel op-ed noted, Crawford is just as guilty of receiving massive donations from partisan billionaires like Soros and Pritzker as Schimel is of accepting contributions from Musk and other wealthy right-wing individuals, making the one-sided complaints about Musk rather hypocritical.

Of course, to hear Crawford explain things, it is (D)ifferent when Democrats do it compared to Republicans, because of Musk's involvement with President Donald Trump, or something.

As for Schimel, he explained in a recent news conference that he couldn't help who supported him and wasn't for sale, as he said, "If people want to support me because they see what I stand for and they see my history, and they think I'm the right candidate for the Supreme Court, I'm grateful for that support. But they're buying nothing. I will deliver nothing but justice on the Supreme Court without regard to person."