A new unregistered political group has jumped into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, flooding cell phones across the state with text messages targeting transgender children.
The texts say they were paid for by "Win Wisconsin, Win the Future." No group by that name is registered with the state, the Federal Election Commission or the Internal Revenue Service.
"Hi I've been asking all my friends this question. Should parents have the right to know if their child is transitioning genders at school?" the texts begin. "This election will decide which way the court goes on important issues such as parental rights."
The text includes a photograph of a woman comforting a child, over the words, "ISSUES LIKE THIS COULD BE DECIDED BY THE WI SUPREME COURT." A new unregistered political group is flooding cell phones across the state with text messages targeting transgender children.
The texts do not say how children could be transitioning genders at school without their parents' knowledge, nor do they explicitly say whether they are supporting conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel or liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. But the issue of "parental rights" has become a rallying cry among conservatives, who have also run recent high-profile campaigns, including for president, by targeting transgender children. More: Republicans take up votes on transgender youth bills. What will Democrats do in wake of 2024 election?
Kate Mikkelsen, a parent of a transgender child in the Milwaukee area, pointed to her rights as a mother.
"It's interesting that they frame it as parental rights," she said. "I wish to maintain my parental right to get my child the healthcare I as a parent along with their doctor believe is best."
She said school districts have their own policies on informing parents of a child's request to go by a different name or pronoun, and that districts that don't mandate telling the parents are making those decisions on the basis of child safety "in case the child does not have a safe home for non-conforming gender expression." She added that schools have "no ability or capacity to aid in any other part of transition, certainly not any medical steps."
"As for using this topic to get out the vote in favor of a conservative judge candidate, well, it's gross," Mikkelsen said. "It's using children (and their rightfully anxious parents) as pawns. Grown ass adults using kids (who are braver than them!) for their political gain is really low."
She added, "It's a very small, marginalized group of kids and families who just want to live their lives."
The texts are being sent in the final weeks before the April 1 election, which will decide whether liberals or conservatives control the state's highest court. More: All our reporting on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Susan Crawford, Brad Schimel
Crawford campaign spokesman Derrick Honeyman slammed billionaire Elon Musk, saying, "Schimel's allies are desperately trying to deflect" from his record, citing his handling of a backlog of thousands of rape kits and past sentencing decisions.
Because the group behind the text messages is unregistered, there's no evidence that Musk is tied to it.
"Elon Musk is pouring in millions of dollars to prop up Brad Schimel, and now this latest secretive outside group is trying to influence the race," Honeyman said. "Judge Crawford is a mom who has always fought to keep our kids safe, and on the Supreme Court, she will look at the facts in every case and be a fair and impartial justice."
The Schimel campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the texts.
This marks the second time that an obscure, unregistered third-party group has attempted to influence the Supreme Court race.
Starting last month, a group called Progress 2028 began airing deceptive digital ads and sending out text messages supposedly backing Crawford. The ads label her a "progressive champion" who will "stand up for immigrants," defend Planned Parenthood and promote a justice system that gives criminals "second chances."
But records show the ads and text messages are underwritten by Building America’s Future, a political nonprofit funded largely by Musk, who is running President Donald Trump’s effort to slash the size of the federal government.
Two Musk-funded groups — Building America’s Future and America PAC — have spent more than $11 million on behalf of Schimel.
The title for the fake pro-Crawford group is portrayed as the liberal answer to Project 2025, the detailed conservative blueprint from the Heritage Foundation for Trump's second term.
Progress 2028, however, does not appear to be registered with state or federal election agencies or the IRS.
It began running three new digital ads on March 7 that praise Crawford for “being the judge we need to stop mass incarceration” and “the judge we need to block Trump’s agenda.” The group has five inactive Crawford ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Schimel was asked about his position on transgender issues Tuesday during a Rotary Club of Milwaukee event at the War Memorial Center.
The question, which was submitted by a member of the audience, asked how he could claim that he would be a justice for all while supporting "anti-trans equality initiatives."
"I don't have any position on who people are, who they identify as, who they love, that is all their business. Not mine," Schimel said. "And whatever the law says is what the law says on that."
When asked about transgender rights by PBS Wisconsin, Crawford said that if a case came before her, she would need to research the laws, listen to the attorneys' arguments and then "make a decision based on what the facts and the law required."
