FAIR WISCONSIN AND GLAAD RESPOND TO SPRING ELECTION RESULTS IN WISCONSIN

FAIR WISCONSIN: These results are a resounding rejection of the ugly politics of hate and fear, and they show a strong commitment to a Wisconsin that lives up to our state motto “Forward.” Thank you, Wisconsin, for voting for equality and against the cynical use of our LGBTQ+ community as political pawns.

GLAAD: Wisconsin voters spoke out on behalf of LGBTQ people and for future elections to be fair and free of interference from self-serving billionaires. Lies and fearmongering about transgender people do not win elections. Wisconsin sent a message of support for the health and safety of each person, and that every vote and every voter matters. 

(April 2, 2025 – Madison, WI, and New York, NY) GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, and Fair Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s only statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization, are responding to the results of the April 1 election which elevated Susan Crawford to the state Supreme Court and returned Jill Underly as State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

A high number of voters turned out in Wisconsin, with reports that polling places needed to print more ballots to accommodate.

GLAAD and Fair Wisconsin had documented the LGBTQ and equality records of the supreme court candidates. The race featured a late surge of inaccurate, inflammatory ads and text messaging that targeted and raised baseless fears about transgender people. Billionaire Elon Musk and his political action committees spent more than $20 million in Wisconsin, including million dollar checks to two voters and promising to pay voters who promoted their votes at election sites.

Crawford defeated Brad Schimel by 10 percent (55% and over 1,300,000 votes / 45% and over 1,050,000 votes). Crawford spoke out against Musk’s attempts to influence the election. “I’ve got to tell you, as a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world,” Crawford said. “And we won.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly beat Brittany Kinser by five percent (52.9% and over 1,100,000 votes / 47.1% and over 1,000,000 votes). Underly spoke in support of LGBTQ students during the campaign: “Schools should be inclusive spaces where all students feel safe, supported and able to fully participate in extracurricular activities. Excluding transgender students from sports not only harms their mental health and well-being but also goes against the principles of fairness and equal opportunity in education.” Kinser had campaigned to exclude trans students from school sports.

Wisconsin voters passed a Voter ID amendment that wrote its already existing regulations into the state constitution requiring voters to show identification to vote.

Approximately 207,000 LGBTQ people live in Wisconsin. Due to a varying patchwork of local laws, only 21% of Wisconsin’s population is protected from discrimination based on gender identity, with 12% partially protected in limited areas such as employment, housing, or public accommodations.

Statement from Abigail Swetz (she/her), Fair Wisconsin Executive Director:
“These results are a victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Wisconsin, and a victory for every Wisconsinite as we build a more fair, more inclusive state. A huge thank you to the voters of Wisconsin, and to all the people who mobilized and organized to make this victory a reality.”

Statement from Sarah Kate Ellis (she/her), GLAAD President and CEO:
“Wisconsin voters spoke out on behalf of LGBTQ people and for future elections to be fair and free of interference from self-serving billionaires. Lies and fearmongering about transgender people do not win elections. Wisconsin sent a message of support for the health and safety of each person, and reaffirmed that every vote and every voter matters.”

Statement from Kat Klawes, Milwaukee LGBTQ Activist, Citizen Action Climate Action Policy Coordinator, and GLAAD Media Institute Alum:
“Susan Crawford’s victory is a rejection of extremism and a clear message that Wisconsinites want to protect our civil liberties, reproductive rights, and environment. Voters turned out in historic numbers, so many that some polling places ran out of ballots because they know what’s at stake: the right to control our own bodies, breathe clean air and live in a democracy where every vote truly counts.”

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About Fair Wisconsin:
Founded in 1994, Fair Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s only statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization. Fair Wisconsin works to achieve, advance, and protect LGBTQ+ equality through grassroots organizing, education, legislative advocacy, and strategic electoral involvement.