Elon Musk's group spent over $12 million in Wisconsin. Here's why he cares about a state Supreme Court race.
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- Elon Musk is heading to Wisconsin on Sunday.
- The world's richest man and his group have spent over $12 million on a state Supreme Court race.
- This is Musk's biggest US political bet since the 2024 election.
President Donald Trump may have run his last race, but that doesn't mean Elon Musk is done campaigning.
Musk will travel to Wisconsin on Sunday, days ahead of a Supreme Court race that could shift the balance of the state's highest court. True to his word, the world's richest man is cementing his status as one of the GOP's biggest megadonors in an off-year election that has drawn significant national attention.
Musk and his America PAC have spent over $12 million so far on the officially nonpartisan state Supreme Court race to help conservative Judge Brad Schimel. Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, have rallied behind liberal Judge Susan Crawford.
More than $80 million has been spent, making the contest the costliest judicial election in US history — supplanting a Wisconsin court from just two years ago.
"Both sides are making a pitch to make it a referendum on Donald Trump or Elon Musk as the case may be," Marquette Law School professor Chad Oldfather told Business Insider. "It's kind of the first election of consequence in the Trump era, so I think people are looking for signs here as to how the population is reacting to everything."
Oldfather, who studies state constitutional law, said Musk's presence has given this race a different feel.
"We've had outside money coming into these races in the past, I suppose what distinguishes it is that Musk is not trying to downplay his role at all," Oldfather said.
Tesla is suing to open dealerships in the state, fighting a state law that doesn't allow automakers to sell directly to consumers. (It's a frequent issue for Musk's company.) Musk and just about every other major figure who has weighed in on the race is more concerned about what the seven justices can do that will have national effects.
"We're trying to stop the Democrats in Wisconsin from removing two House seats," Musk told Fox News anchor Bret Baier during an interview for "Special Report."
If Schimel loses, Musk said, "we could lose control of the House and all of the government reforms could be shut down."
The GOP holds a 6 to 2 majority in the Wisconsin US House of Representatives delegation. History shows that the president's party typically loses seats. The GOP has a slim House majority, meaning it cannot afford to see more districts become more competitive.
Musk isn't hard to miss in the state.
Crawford and her allies have repeatedly highlighted Musk's spending in the race. Wisconsin Democrats' website has a splash page that shows Musk as the puppet master of Schimel.
"Elon Musk is the most unpopular active national figure in Wisconsin politics, and the more voters see that the man who is attacking social security and their healthcare is pouring millions of dollars in to help Brad Schimel, the more voters are enraged about the idea of someone trying to buy our state Supreme Court," Wisconsin Democrats Chairman Ben Wikler told Business Insider.
After Musk announced his initial giveaway, Crawford's campaign wrote on X, "Brad Schimel and Elon Musk are corrupt."
In response to Crawford, Schimel's campaign said their opponent has plenty of well-heeled supporters herself, including George Soros, Bernie Sanders, and Hakeem Jeffries.
"The attempts by Susan Crawford and the Democrats to distract the people of Wisconsin from her extreme views and the radical billionaires funding her are a mockery of hypocrisy," Jacob Fischer, Schimel campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Business Insider.
Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming called the focus on Musk's spending "a diversion."
"It's a way for them to take shots at Donald Trump and at Elon Musk," Schimming told Business Insider. "There's no lack of lack of big money people that have come into Wisconsin over the years that have greatly outspent Elon Musk."
According to a March 5 Marquette Law School Poll, Musk has a -12 percentage point approval rating in Wisconsin. The same respondents only slightly disapproved (-3 percentage points) of Trump's first six weeks in office. Trump won the state last November, part of his swing state sweep over Vice President Kamala Harris that ushered him back into the White House. Just days before Election Day, Trump announced his endorsement of Schimel.
Like in the 2024 election, Musk's campaigning is also drawing opposition. On Friday, he wrote on X that he would personally award two voters $1 million checks at the Sunday rally. He then deleted the tweet and later clarified that the checks were for attendees who had agreed to become spokespeople for a petition America PAC is pushing across the state. Musk's political outfit previously promised to give $100 to voters who signed the petition against judicial activism.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he would challenge Musk's giveaway in court. Wisconsin law prohibits anyone from giving "something of value" to voters, which led some election law experts to conclude that Musk's effort was illegal.
The national attention is unlikely to fade for long.
Wisconsin justices serve 10-year terms. Due to retirements alone, the state will hold multiple Supreme Court elections over the next five years. In the meantime, the current race seems almost inescapable, Oldfather said.
"It's a deluge," he said, "every time you turn on the TV, every time you pull up YouTube, every you open your mailbox, every time your phone dings with a text message."