Eric Holder holds closed event in Milwaukee ahead of Supreme Court election

Just minutes after former President Barack Obama took the rare step of endorsing a candidate in a state Supreme Court race, his former attorney general was in Milwaukee on April 1 to meet with community leaders ahead of the April 7 election.

Eric Holder held a closed event with Congresswoman Gwen Moore at the Wisconsin African American Women’s Center, located near 30th and Vliet in Milwaukee, which was attended by approximately 40 community leaders, including elected officials, a judge, and state Democratic Party leadership.

Tuesday’s election pits liberal Chris Taylor against conservative Maria Lazar, following the decision by incumbent conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley not to seek reelection.

The court currently has a 4-3 liberal majority, and liberals will keep control of the court regardless of the result of the election, which may be one reason why early voting is down 59% compared to the 2025 spring election.

But Holder, who has been a frequent visitor to Wisconsin in recent years, stresses the importance of turnout on Tuesday because a 5-2 liberal majority would strengthen the length of time liberals have control of the court and put it out of reach for conservatives in the next election.

The good friend of former President Barack Obama has an interest in the race because of the reshaping of political districts in Wisconsin and how they can affect who controls the government in the swing state.

“Republicans in this state used the power they got in the 2010 election to put in place partisan gerrymanders that lasted almost through the course of a decade,” Holder said.

“I’ve been here, I think, since 2017 for every Supreme Court race that has occurred in this state. And it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that we were able to actually flip control of the Supreme Court such that we had a court that was filled with justices who would rule on the facts, rule on the law, and wouldn’t be beholden to special interests.

“And that’s who (Taylor) is, and that’s why this election is so important.”

Soon to be trillionaire Elon Musk poured money into the 2025 Supreme Court race for the same reasons Holder is interested in the race, but Musk supported the conservative in the race. However, Wisconsin voters went to the polls and flat out rejected Musk’s candidate.

Holder stressed the importance of control of the Supreme Court because he said a conservative majority that, in large part, gave former Gov. Scott Walker’s agenda a seal of approval, which included requiring voter ID. What seems simple, such as providing your driver’s license when you vote, can actually disenfranchise thousands who don’t have the means to get the ID.

Holder for the most part refrained from discussing party dynamics, but, of course, Moore didn’t.

An ongoing rift between leftists or progressives in the party and the more establishment, liberal part of the party has sparked issues and conversations on the left. Moore also took President Donald Trump to task for his war in Iran.

Holder did say of the Democrats that it’s important to build coalitions as Obama did in 2008.

“We come up with a whole bunch of different ideas, and that’s been the history of this party,” he said. “We come up with things like social security, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Civil Rights Act. That’s all from the Democrats.”

There were some moments of levity, including when a panelist asked Holder if he was a better hooper than Obama.

“I’m from New York City; he’s from Hawaii. Really?” the AG responded.

Voters can also learn more about the two Supreme Court candidates in this year’s race on Thursday at 7 p.m. on WISN-TV (Channel 12), which is the one and only debate scheduled.