Unsuccessful Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel might want to hang onto that endorsement from President Donald Trump for a little while.
This week, Schimel declined an offer to talk about his defeat to liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford by 10 percentage points on April 1, despite — or perhaps, in part, because of — his backing from Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. The contest, the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, keeps control of the court in liberal hands.
Schimel did answer one question, though.
His term as a Waukesha County judge will end July 31 after 6 1/2 years on the bench. He landed the job when then-Gov. Scott Walker appointed him to the vacant post after Schimel lost his re-election bid for attorney general in November 2018. The two Republicans worked out the deal without Schimel even applying for job.
So what’s up next for Schimel?
He said he has his eye on one particular federal position.
“I am interested in the U.S. attorney appointment,” Schimel wrote via email. “I have some private sector offers, but my preference is to continue in public service.”
Good thing for him, the position is open.
Former U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad, who was appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden, exited the post as chief federal prosecutor for Wisconsin’s Eastern District in late February after less than three years on the job. He had previously served as acting U.S. attorney in the Milwaukee office from 2016 to 2018.
The federal post is now being filled on a temporary basis by Richard Frohling, who had been a first assistant U.S. attorney in the Milwaukee office since 2015.
Soon Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin will set up a bipartisan nominating commission to accept and vet applications for U.S. attorney for the state’s Eastern District and Western District, which is based in Madison. Attorney Sopen Shah, Biden’s nominee for the Western District, was never confirmed by the U.S. Senate after Johnson switched his position and expressed opposition to her selection.
The commission will forward the names of qualified candidates to Johnson and Baldwin, who then send the names of their joint recommendations to Trump. Along with Schimel, others mentioned as possible candidates for the Milwaukee prosecutor’s post include Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney and Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow.
Trump then makes his pick.
The president and Schimel got to know each other late in the recent Supreme Court contest.
Schimel spent weeks seeking Trump’s endorsement. The second-term Republican president finally announced his backing of Schimel’s candidacy on March 21. Shortly thereafter, Schimel pulled most of his other campaign ads and replaced them with one touting the Trump endorsement.
The endorsement wasn’t enough to put Schimel over the top.
But it may be enough to give Schimel an edge if his name ends up on the president’s desk later this year for the U.S attorney’s job. The U.S. Senate has to confirm Trump’s nominee.
As for anything else related to the recent race, Schimel, who spent 16 months campaigning, said: “I don’t want to go on the record on any of it.”
Gotcha.
Mary Spicuzza of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on X at @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.
Bice: After election loss, Brad Schimel says he's eyeing Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney job – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
