Gov. Pritzker, Elon Musk among those pouring money into upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Democrat- and Republican-aligned groups are pouring huge amounts of money into an open seat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

And volunteers from Illinois are once again crossing the border to campaign for one of the candidates.

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Gov. JB Pritzker and Elon Musk are among the big names contributing to the candidates.

Spending on both sides has now topped $70 million, shattering national records for a state judicial race. The outcome will determine the balance of power on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for years to come, with some big issues on the line.

Brad Schimel and Susan Crawford were blitzing the state this past weekend.

The election is just eight days away.

"We need to get 60 percent of the people who voted conservative on Nov. 5 to come back and vote for April 1," Schimel said.

It has been a whirlwind week for the conservative Schimel, who was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump.

"'Hello Brad, this is the president.' It was a phone call, and he recognizes what's at stake here in Wisconsin," Schimel said.

Crawford, the liberal candidate, has been blasting her rival, who was also endorsed by Musk.

Musk recently donated $2 million to Schimel's campaign.

"He's got Elon Musk spending millions of dollars on this race and now even trying to buy votes in Wisconsin," Crawford said.

"Brad Schimel is a kind of bought and paid for political hack, who I think most voters do not want on the Supreme Court. So, this has become a referendum on Musk," Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wickler said.

Musk has offered $100 to voters who sign a petition against "activist judges."

According to the Brennan Center, the candidates and their supporters have spent a combined $73.4 million in this race.

That includes more than $32 million for Crawford, and more than $41 million for Schimel.

Pritzker donated $500,000 in January to help support Crawford's campaign.

"What's disturbing is that we have a very small handful of extraordinarily wealthy men who are controlling the discussion, and will probably have a huge impact on who gets elected," Reform for Illinois Policy Director Alisa Kaplan said.

Illinois Democrats have been sending volunteers to canvass and phone bank for Crawford this past month through Operation Swing State.

The election outcome could impact remapping and abortion rights in the years to come, but the big money influence is raising other concerns.

"So, who your judges end up indebted to I think is a really important thing to think about," Kaplan said.