Nationwide — Elon Musk spent a staggering $21 million in a failed effort to swing management of the Wisconsin Supreme Courtroom to conservatives, together with paying two voters $1 million every to signal a petition forward of the election. His monetary backing helped make the judicial race the costliest in U.S. historical past. Regardless of his efforts and high-profile presence—together with marketing campaign rallies and aggressive digital messaging—Musk’s chosen candidate, Brad Schimel, misplaced by 10 proportion factors. That margin was notably wider than the defeat suffered by one other Republican on the identical statewide poll, who wasn’t tied to Musk’s political machine.
In accordance with AP News, Musk’s involvement turned a state-level judicial race right into a nationwide proxy battle over the path of American democracy. Drawing from ways he used to help Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential win, Musk poured cash into canvassing, digital outreach, and incentive-based activism. America PAC, an excellent PAC he funds, spent thousands and thousands hiring distributors to ship folks door-to-door throughout Wisconsin, urging voters to help Schimel. His group additionally supplied monetary rewards to people who signed petitions or helped recruit others, with some canvassers reportedly receiving $100 for every new referral.
Regardless of the inflow of money and nationwide consideration, Democrats have been capable of mobilize important voter turnout, particularly in historically liberal strongholds like Madison and Milwaukee. Nevertheless, Musk’s presence appeared to backfire even in additional reasonable and conservative-leaning areas. In locations like Sauk County—received by Trump in 2024—liberal candidate Susan Crawford led by double digits. Even Brown County, the place Musk held a well-attended rally simply days earlier than the election, swung in favor of Crawford on election day.
Crawford, a decide from Dane County, positioned Musk because the face of a broader marketing campaign to “purchase the courts.” In her victory speech, she known as out the unprecedented scale of outdoor spending and praised Wisconsin voters for rejecting what she described as an try and undermine democracy. “Our courts usually are not on the market,” she stated to supporters, including that the outcomes despatched a strong message concerning the integrity of the judiciary and the resilience of voters within the face of billionaire affect.
Musk responded to the loss on his social media platform X, suggesting the election was a part of a broader left-wing try and “corrupt the judiciary.” Whereas he downplayed the defeat, claiming it might supply strategic worth in the long run, many throughout the GOP questioned his determination to turn out to be so publicly concerned in a race that was already anticipated to favor Democrats. Political strategist Marc Brief, a former adviser to Mike Pence, stated Musk’s heavy presence might need really damage Schimel’s possibilities by turning the race right into a referendum on Musk himself.
The Wisconsin race might mark the start of broader voter resistance to billionaires utilizing their wealth to sway elections. As Musk’s affect grows inside conservative politics and the Trump administration, Tuesday’s outcomes function a reminder that high-dollar campaigns don’t at all times translate into wins—particularly when voters are energized by considerations over equity and transparency. For a lot of in Wisconsin, the election wasn’t nearly one seat on the state’s highest court docket—it was concerning the precept that nobody, not even Elon Musk, ought to be capable of purchase the result of an election.
