In her victory speech after winning election to the Dane County Circuit Court, Susan Crawford thanked Judge Jill Karofsky for being her “mentor and shoulder to cry on” during what Crawford described as a “long, hard battle” for the Branch 1 seat.
Karofsky last year defeated Crawford’s opponent, labor attorney and village of Shorewood Hills municipal judge Marilyn Townsend, in a hard-fought race for Branch 12. But Karofsky says she didn’t provide much advice to Crawford during the campaign. “I didn’t need to — she has so many amazing qualities,” Karofsky tells Isthmus. “She’s laid the groundwork for years. She’s going to walk in on day one and do a fabulous job.”
In one of the closest races of the spring election, Crawford defeated Townsend by a margin of about 3 percent, winning 51 percent of the vote. Townsend called Crawford to concede at about 9:30 p.m. when about 85 percent of precincts were reporting. The Branch 1 seat was vacated by Judge Timothy Samuelson, who was appointed in June by Gov. Scott Walker but decided not to run for election.
Crawford, an attorney with Pines Bach law firm since 2011, previously served as chief legal counsel for Gov. Jim Doyle. She also held administrative positions in several state agencies and served as an assistant attorney general for the state Department of Justice.
“I’m proud of the way we conducted the campaign, and I am really committed to working hard for the community and the judicial system,” Crawford said in an interview after her victory. “And at the same time, I know it’s a great responsibility.”
About 50 Crawford supporters gathered at an election night watch party at Cafe Hollander. Campaign manager Eric LaGesse says Crawford’s supporters knocked on close to 8,000 doors throughout Dane County prior to the election. An election-day push included phone calls, text messages and social media outreach. But Crawford credits her victory in part to “key endorsements,” including eight current and 15 former Dane County Circuit Court judges. “That made a big difference,” Crawford says.
Crawford spoke highly of her opponent, thanking Townsend for running a positive campaign and applauding her accomplishments and work ethic. “She fought a hard fight,” Crawford said.
A campaign finance report filed March 19 shows Townsend raised about $46,000 and spent $43,000 on the race since Jan. 1. On March 19, she took out a $25,000 loan and ended the reporting period with an outstanding loan of $155,500 and a cash balance of $67,000. Townsend voluntarily limited campaign contributions to $500, which she said was a way to keep money out of the judicial race. But Crawford criticized Townsend’s approach, pointing out that Townsend could self-fund the difference. Crawford raised about $45,000 and spent about $26,000 since Jan. 1, according to a campaign finance report. She took out a loan for $10,000 and ended with a cash balance of $46,000.
Across town, a few dozen Townsend supporters gathered at Nick’s Restaurant and Lounge on State Street. Despite the loss, campaign manager Melissa Mulliken says Townsend “did what [she] set out to do and ran a strong, positive campaign.”
In a statement, Townsend said she was “honored” by the support she received and that she plans to return full-time to her law practice. “We ran a strong race [and] worked hard,” Townsend said. “I will continue to focus, both in my work and through my community involvement, on issues that have always been at the heart of my legal career: equal justice under the law and access to justice for all.”
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include comment from Mulliken.