As the race for the next Wisconsin Supreme Court justice heats up, the media and dark money PACs have resorted to sharing lies about candidate Brad Schimel, using manipulative tactics to confuse voters. Here are the facts.

Brad and Sandi Schimel are the proud parents of two adoptive daughters, Mackenzie and Hailey, who were both the results of unplanned teen pregnancies. In a recent video, Brad shared that his daughters are his “greatest blessings,” and he remains grateful their birth mothers chose adoption over abortion.

Even as a strong proponent of adoption over abortion, Schimel acknowledged that the role of the judicial branch is to apply the law, not make the law. “The people of Wisconsin, through referendum or their elected representatives, should decide the question of abortion,” Brad rightfully noted.

The family of four resides in Waukesha County, where Brad currently serves as a Circuit Court Judge. Earlier in his career, Brad served as a prosecutor, where he quickly earned a reputation for being “tough and relentless in his pursuit of justice.” From 2015 to 2019, Brad served as Wisconsin’s Attorney General, where he proudly supported law enforcement and tackled some of the largest criminal justice issues facing the state. He became known as a strong advocate for victims of sexual assault.

Despite dishonest opposition ads, law enforcement officials have shared the truth about Brad’s steadfast commitment to fixing the state’s rape kit backlog when he was Attorney General. Several district attorneys, sheriffs, and a prominent victims’ rights advocate emphasized that Brad was a “victim-focused, empathetic former prosecutor” who worked diligently to clear a backlog that accumulated for years under other officials.

Before leaving office in 2019, Brad used private grants to test more than 4,100 rape kits, saving taxpayers an estimated $4 million – a feat that no other attorney general has ever accomplished. In keeping with accepted norms, rape kits were not tested in instances where victims did not want the kits tested, where there were acquittals, and where allegations were fabricated. Instead, funds were allocated to ongoing cases. This was not a controversial move until George Soros threw over $1 million into the Democrat Party of Wisconsin on behalf of Susan Crawford. In actuality, Crawford’s mentor and liberal justice Jill Karofsky praised Brad's work on his office’s handling of the rape kits.

“It upsets me when I see the commercials and I know that the lies are being told… to say that Brad is the person who let us down on the Sexual Assault Kit initiatives is just a lie and unfair,” District Attorney Patricia Hanson said. “In fact, the mere number of test kits that Brad had tested in his term as Attorney General is absolutely staggering to me [emphasis added].”

It is the height of irony for the Crawford campaign to criticize Brad’s unimpeachable record of protecting victims when Crawford herself has doled out preferential “sweetheart sentences” to convicted pedophiles, placing countless children in danger. As a Dane County judge, Crawford repeatedly gave child rapists such weak sentences that many are already out on the streets. One man, convicted of raping a 5-year-old girl numerous times, served only two years in prison thanks to Crawford’s ruling and is now living mere blocks away from a school.

Don’t let dishonest opposition ads fool you – Brad Schimel cares deeply about the rule of law and protecting victims. We know the key to a better Wisconsin is electing a justice who will fairly enforce the role of the judicial branch, rather than use that position to benefit criminals and push for radical leftist policies. Please make every effort to vote in the upcoming election on April 1. The future of Wisconsin’s conservative movement hangs in the balance.