It was the most expensive judicial race in US history. And Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, lost.

Democrat-backed liberal judge Susan Crawford won a seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, after a closely watched race that became a proxy battle between President Donald Trump’s administration and the opposition.

The contest also became a litmus test of the political influence of Trump and Elon Musk, his ally and the world’s richest man, who poured millions of dollars into supporting Crawford’s opponent, Republican-backed conservative Brad Schimel.

Here is what happened and why it matters:

Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court election

There are seven judges in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Until last year, four of them leaned liberal and three, conservative. Then, one liberal judge announced retirement, leaving one seat empty and prompting the vote on Tuesday.

The federal and state Supreme Courts are supposed to be non-partisan and not aligned with either party. However, there are liberal judges, backed by the Democrats, and conservative judges, backed by the Republicans – and often, they vote predictably, along ideological lines.

“While we like to think that judges are politically neutral and that politics does not affect them, the reality is that politics does matter,” David Schultz, a professor of politics at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, told Al Jazeera.