Tech billionaire Elon Musk handed out $1 million checks to two Wisconsin voters on Sunday, naming them spokespeople for his political group ahead of a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Musk framed the race as crucial to President Donald Trump’s agenda and “the future of civilization.”
Addressing a crowd of roughly 2,000 in Green Bay while donning a yellow cheesehead hat, Musk emphasized the stakes. “It’s a super big deal,” he declared. “I’m not phoning it in. I’m here in person.”
Musk and affiliated groups have reportedly poured over $20 million into supporting conservative candidate Brad Schimel in Tuesday’s election. The outcome will determine the ideological balance of a court poised to rule on key issues in this battleground state. His heavy involvement has drawn criticism from liberal candidate Susan Crawford and her allies, who argue that Musk is attempting to exert undue influence over the judiciary.
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“I think this will be important for the future of civilization,” Musk reiterated, emphasizing that the state Supreme Court could play a role in redistricting congressional districts, potentially affecting control of the U.S. House.
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“If the (Wisconsin) Supreme Court redraws the districts, they will gerrymander and strip Wisconsin of two Republican seats,” Musk warned. “Then they will try to block all the government reforms we are getting done for you, the American people.”
A last-minute legal challenge from Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul sought to prevent Musk from distributing the checks, arguing it violated state law prohibiting inducements to vote. However, the state Supreme Court—currently controlled 4-3 by liberals—declined to take up the case, minutes before Musk’s rally began.
Kaul had argued that Musk’s payments constituted an illegal attempt to sway voters, while Musk’s legal team countered that it was a free speech issue protected under the U.S. and Wisconsin constitutions.
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Musk’s political action committee used a similar approach before the last presidential election, offering $1 million per day to voters in Wisconsin and other swing states who signed petitions supporting the First and Second Amendments. A Pennsylvania judge previously ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the effort was an illegal lottery.
Musk’s attorneys also requested that two liberal justices—Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet—recuse themselves from the case, citing their public support for Crawford. Their absence would have shifted the court’s majority to conservatives, but both justices declined to step aside.
Schimel, endorsed by a conservative justice and seen wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat while campaigning, has distanced himself from outside spending. “I don’t control any of the spending from any outside group, whether it’s Elon Musk or anyone else,” he stated in a Fox News interview.
This Supreme Court contest has shattered national spending records for a judicial race, with over $81 million poured into the battle. The court’s rulings could have far-reaching implications for abortion rights, redistricting, union power, and voting laws—potentially shaping the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
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