Tight state elections underway in Wisconsin, Florida

Wisconsinites hit the polls on Tuesday to vote in the tie-breaking judge on the state’s supreme court. The technically non-partisan race has drawn national attention because it could change how the state’s seven-member court rules on partisan issues like abortion.

Republicans backed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel to replace the retiring left-leaning Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Schimel faced Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who ran with support from the Democratic Party, including the endorsement of former President Barack Obama. Trump ally Elon Musk running a $1 million giveaway to signers of a petition against judicial activism.

What’s happening in Florida? The Sunshine State is holding special elections on Tuesday to replace Congressmen Michael Waltz and Matt Gaetz in the U.S. House of Representatives. The elections will not change Republicans’ control of the chamber but could thin the GOP’s five-seat majority.

• A close race is expected in Florida’s 6th Congressional District between Democratic candidate Joshua Weil and GOP candidate Randy Fine. Despite Fine’s endorsement from President Donald Trump, the GOP candidate raised just under $1 million compared to Weil’s $9 million. The district has elected Republicans to Congress for the last 35 years.

• In the 1st Congressional District, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Republican Jimmy Patronis is facing off against Democrat Gay Valimont to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who recently resigned. The special election came months after the then-incumbent Valimont lost her 2024 reelection bid to Gaetz. Despite the recent loss, Federal Elections Commission filings showed that Valimont raised about $6.4 million, about triple the amount raised by the GOP’s Patronis.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report about the broader implications of Wisconsin’s election.