Elon Musk Awards $1M Checks to Wisconsin Voters Ahead of Supreme Court Election
- Victor Nwoko
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
Elon Musk distributed $1 million checks to two Wisconsin voters on Sunday, appointing them as spokespeople for his political group in the lead-up to a high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The tech billionaire emphasized the race’s significance to Donald Trump’s agenda and broader political developments.
Addressing a crowd of approximately 2,000 in Green Bay, Musk, wearing a yellow cheesehead hat, described the election as crucial. “It’s a super big deal,” he stated. “I’m not phoning it in. I’m here in person.”
Musk and affiliated organizations have invested over $20 million in support of conservative candidate Brad Schimel in Tuesday’s election, which will determine the ideological balance of the state’s highest court. The outcome is expected to shape decisions on major issues in Wisconsin, a key battleground state. Meanwhile, liberal candidate Susan Crawford and her supporters have raised concerns over Musk’s involvement and the potential influence he seeks to exert on the court.
Musk underscored the court’s potential role in redistricting congressional districts, suggesting that the decision could impact party control in the U.S. House. “If the [Wisconsin] supreme court is able to redraw the districts, they will gerrymander the district and deprive Wisconsin of two seats on the Republican side,” he claimed. “Then they will try to stop all the government reforms we are getting done for you, the American people.”
Just minutes before Musk’s rally, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously declined to hear a last-minute attempt by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul to block the tech mogul from issuing the payments. Two lower courts had already dismissed Kaul’s legal challenge, in which he argued that Musk’s actions violated state law prohibiting financial incentives in exchange for votes. “Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value to induce anyone to vote,” Kaul asserted in his filing.
The state’s highest court, currently controlled by a four-to-three liberal majority, did not provide a rationale for its decision. All four liberal justices have endorsed Susan Crawford, the Democratic-backed candidate. Kaul did not issue an immediate response to the ruling.
Musk’s attorneys defended the payments, asserting that they were a form of free speech protected under both the Wisconsin and U.S. constitutions. “The payments are intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate,” they argued in court filings.
This strategy mirrors a previous initiative by Musk’s political action committee before the last presidential election, when voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states were offered $1 million a day for signing a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. A Pennsylvania judge ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove the effort constituted an illegal lottery, allowing it to continue through Election Day.
Hours before Musk’s rally, his legal team requested that two liberal justices, Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet, recuse themselves from the case due to their public endorsements of Crawford. Had they stepped aside, the court’s balance would have shifted to a three-two conservative majority. Both justices rejected the request and indicated they would provide their reasoning at a later date.
One of the court’s conservative justices has publicly backed Schimel, who was seen wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during his campaign appearances on Sunday. In a national television interview, Schimel distanced himself from external financial contributions, stating, “I do not control any of the spending from any outside group, whether it’s Elon Musk or anyone else.” He added that Trump only inquired whether he would “reject activist judges” and uphold the law.
The race has shattered records for judicial election spending, surpassing $81 million. The court’s upcoming decisions are expected to impact abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union power, and voting regulations—issues that could significantly influence the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election in Wisconsin.
Comentarios