The results of the recent special state supreme court election in Wisconsin have led the Wall Street Journal editorial board to declare, “The MAGA Backlash Arrives.”

Judge Susan Crawford – considered the progressive candidate in the nonpartisan race – won the election with 54% of the vote after Elon Musk spent millions of dollars trying to get her opponent elected. Crawford beat conservative judge Brad Schimel for the 10-year term on the state’s highest court. Her victory means progressives have maintained their majority on the court.

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“The comfortable win by Democratic Judge Susan Crawford is the second sign in two weeks of a political backlash against the Trump Presidency,” the board wrote, explaining that her victory is “a warning to the GOP that the Trump-Musk governing style is stirring a backlash that could cost them control of Congress next year.”

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Musk spent $20 million to get Schimel elected, including giving two people a $1 million prize for voting in the election.

“What’s at issue here is control of the US House of Representatives,” Musk said on X before the election was held. “This Wisconsin Supreme Court race might decide the future of America and Western Civilization!”

But after his candidate lost the election, Musk said that it wasn’t that important to him after all.

The editorial board also brought up two Florida special elections that took place this week in which Republicans won, but by significantly smaller margins than their predecessors.

These narrower-than-expected victories could explain why Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was pressured to back out of her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Republicans hold a very narrow majority in the House, and Republican leadership has been worried about losing special elections to Democrats, which could jeopardize their current trifecta at the federal level.

Additionally, Democrats flipped a Pennsylvania state Senate seat last week that had been held by Republicans for decades in a county that went for Trump by 16 points.

“Democrats are fired up to make a statement about Mr. Trump’s polarizing second term,” the board stated, adding that “the elections are a warning to Mr. Trump to focus on what got him re-elected—especially prices and growth in real incomes after inflation. His willy-nilly tariff agenda undermining stock prices and consumer and business confidence isn’t helping”

The editorial explained that the results of the Wisconsin election could have major effects on everything from tort reform to school vouchers to collective bargaining reform.

“Congressional district electoral maps will also be challenged and could cost the GOP two House seats,” they said. “The MAGA majority may have a shorter run than advertised.”

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