Bradley said she is “concerned for what an extremely radical court” could do over the next three years and is running to “ensure that there is a voice for the constitution and for the rule of law.”
“I will be spending the next several weeks assessing what happened on Tuesday and figuring out a path to achieving a court that is not led by and dominated by the radical left, that gets back to deciding cases under the law and respecting the constitution,” she told Wispolitics.
Bradley, one of the court’s most outspoken and political members, told reporters last week at Judge Brad Schimel’s election watch party that she was “not looking forward to working with [Justice-elect Susan Crawford] because I think … she’s bought and paid for by the Democratic Party.”
She also characterized the way Crawford ran her race as “disgusting.”
Crawford, a liberal, beat Schimel, her conservative challenger, in a contest that shattered spending records and turned a state race into a referendum on President Donald Trump.
The election, which cost more than $100 million and featured both Trump and Elon Musk stumping for Schimel, was expected to be a nail-biter, but the Associated Press called the race for Crawford less than two hours after the polls closed. Bradley was not shy in talking about the win, calling it an “embarrassment.”
“I think with Judge Crawford’s win, we’re going to see a continued politicization of the judiciary,” she told PBS Wisconsin. “Unfortunately, over the last couple of terms, my four liberal colleagues have ruled uniformly with the Democratic Party, which is why you saw this money come in. So I think, unfortunately, we’re going to see more of the same, and it’s a very sad day for the judiciary in the state of Wisconsin.
“But also, it’s really an embarrassment nationally, because this is not what judges are supposed to do. We’re supposed to decide cases under the law regardless of who the parties are or whether we like the outcome or not, and that’s how my colleagues are doing. So unfortunately, I think we’re going to continue to see money pouring into these races with a political agenda on the Left that they have simply been unsuccessful advancing in the state of Wisconsin with the voters through the political process, which is where it’s supposed to be.
Bradley has been a state judge in Wisconsin since 2012. She was appointed to the state Supreme Court by then-Gov. Scott Walker in 2015 and won election to a 10-year term in 2016. Her term ends July 31, 2026.
By running for reelection, she gives conservatives a candidate who already has experience on the court, which may make her more favorable than Schimel.
DEMOCRATS’ PIVOT BACK TO CLASS WARFARE SEES EARLY RETURNS IN WISCONSIN
At least two liberal judges, 1st District Appeals Court Judge Pedro Colón and 4th District Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, said they are considering running against Bradley next spring.
Liberal candidates have won four of the last five state Supreme Court elections, each by double digits.
