Musk’s heavy political involvement in the battle for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has made him a central figure in the race.
Tech billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk will head to Wisconsin days before the pivotal state Supreme Court election there, into which he’s sunk millions of dollars on behalf of the conservative candidate and become a central figure in the race.
Musk made the announcement early Friday morning on his social media platform X, where he said he would be giving out a pair of $1 million checks to people who attend his speech, with attendance limited to those who voted in the election.
It’s the latest redoubling of Musk’s efforts in Wisconsin, where he has endorsed conservative Judge Brad Schimel, a circuit court judge and former state attorney general who is also backed by President Donald Trump. State campaign finance filings show $3 million in donations from Musk to the Wisconsin Republican Party so far this year, and Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, is the top outside spender in the Supreme Court race. The group has spent more than $12 million so far, according to the latest data available through the state’s campaign finance portal Friday morning.
America PAC has also offered Wisconsin voters $100 to sign a conservative-leaning petition ahead of the election and has awarded one petition–signer $1 million, the latest large award as part of Musk’s efforts to encourage engagement with his political operations.
Musk’s heavy public involvement in Wisconsin has made him a main character in the battle for partisan control of the state Supreme Court, and it aligns with Republican efforts to motivate the base before Tuesday’s off-year election.
Trump joined Schimel in a telephone town hall Thursday, Schimel’s campaign has launched ads emphasizing Trump’s endorsement and attacking the Democratic candidate on transgender issues, and an outside group backing Schimel is airing a new ad that criticizes an unrelated judicial decision blocking the Trump administration’s deportation flights to argue that the state needs conservative judges like Schimel in power.
Democrats have responded to Musk’s efforts by trying to make him a boogeyman. A majority of registered voters in Wisconsin view him unfavorably, according to a recent Marquette University Law School poll, similar to national findings from the latest NBC News poll.
Liberal candidate Susan Crawford launched an ad this month that accuses Musk of “trying to buy Schimel a seat on the Supreme Court because he knows Schimel always helps his big campaign donors.” Crawford and the state Democratic Party repeatedly mention Musk as a foil on the campaign trail.
