MITCHELL SCHMIDT
Billionaire Elon Musk plans to visit Wisconsin on Sunday to deliver $1 million each to two voters who have already cast ballots in the high-stakes April 1 election that will determine ideological control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Musk, a close aide to President Donald Trump who has showered millions of dollars on the race to support Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel, said in a Thursday evening post on the social media platform X he will give a talk in Wisconsin on Sunday. Schimel, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge, faces Democratic-backed Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford in a race that's shattered previous spending records for state judicial elections.
Musk didn't say exactly where or when he will speak, but noted entry to the event will be limited to "those who have voted in the Supreme Court election."
"I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote," Musk continued. "This is super important."
Musk has spent more than $20 million on the race so far through two political action committees and direct donations to the Republican Party of Wisconsin. He has also offered $100 to anyone who signs his "Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges," and on Thursday he said a Green Bay man who signed the petition had been awarded $1 million.
One of Musk's political action committees deployed a similar effort last year leading up to Trump's victory over then-Vice President Kamala Harris, offering $1 million a day to voters who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendment in several battleground states, including Wisconsin.
Officials with Crawford's campaign have called the payments a corrupt attempt to influence voters. Musk's involvement in the race began shortly after his Tesla electric car company sued Wisconsin for blocking it from opening dealerships in the state.
Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman said Musk's efforts are "just a last-minute desparate distraction" and an attempt to influence the race in hopes of securing a favorable ruling in the lawsuit.
"Wisconsinites don’t want a billionaire like Musk telling them who to vote for, and on Tuesday, voters should reject Musk’s lackey Brad Schimel," Honeyman continued.
Schimel's campaign did not immediately respond Friday to request for comment on the payments or whether Schimel plans to attend the Sunday event.
The state's highest court currently holds a 4-3 liberal majority. Seats on the seven-member court are technically nonpartisan, but political interests are spending millions on the race, the state’s two major parties have chosen sides and both candidates have painted their opponent as beholden to their partisan donors.
Total spending on the race topped $81 million as of Tuesday, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. That includes about $22 million spent by Crawford and more than $10 million spent by Schimel. The remaining more than $49 million flowing into the race has come from the state's two major political parties, megadonors and outside groups.
In addition to Musk, Schimel has received support from GOP megadonors like Diane Hendricks, the owner of ABC Supply in Beloit, and Liz Uihlein, president of shipping company Uline. Crawford, meanwhile, has benefited from liberal philanthropist George Soros, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others.
The April 1 contest comes just two years after the last judicial election, another battle for ideological control of the court that set records at the time with more than $51 million spent by candidates and special-interest groups leading up to Janet Protasiewicz's 2023 victory over former Justice Dan Kelly.
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