Battlegrounds Pennsylvania And Wisconsin Are Back In The Spotlight With High-stakes Court Elections

Republicans put Pennsylvania and Wisconsin back in the win column in the 2024 presidential race, and they're hoping that momentum carries over to contests this year that will determine whether their state Supreme Courts retain left-leaning majorities or flip to conservative control.

The outcome can be pivotal in deciding cases related to abortion, election disputes, voting laws and redistricting for Congress and their state legislatures.

Money is pouring in and expected to eclipse the 70 million-plus combined spent on the states' Supreme Court races two years ago.

The Wisconsin race has caught the attention of Elon Musk , the SpaceX and Tesla CEO who is a close ally of President Donald Trump, and has surfaced tensions related to Trump's pardons of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 .

"For both sides, these races seem much, much higher profile than they used to be," said J.J. Abbott, who runs Commonwealth Communications, a progressive advocacy group in Pennsylvania.