Elon Musk handed out $1 million to a voter in a push to flip Wisconsin's Supreme Court red.
“Exciting to announce our first million-dollar award for supporting our petition against activist judges in Wisconsin!" the Tesla CEO posted on X last Wednesday (26 March). "Next million dollar award will be announced in 2 days.”
The tech billionaire's latest move hopes to gather signatures for his America PAC (political action committee), which opposes 'activist judges' ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on 1 April.
The winner of this open seat will decide who controls the Wisconsin Supreme Court. More broadly, it could be viewed as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s first two months in office.
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“Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas,” reads a statement on the petition site.
This legal push also overlaps with one of Musk’s business fights. Specifically, Tesla is currently suing Wisconsin over laws that block automakers from selling cars directly to consumers.
According to the New York Times, the lawsuit was filed in January, right around the time Musk started funnelling money into this judicial race.
Right now, the Badger state’s Supreme Court leans Democratic.
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Both Musk and Trump stand firmly behind Republican Judge Brad Schimel in the race, at whom Musk previously chucked $20 million.
Schimel even appeared alongside the DOGE lead in a social media livestream over the weekend and received a full endorsement by Trump.“All Voters who believe in Common Sense should GET OUT TO VOTE EARLY for Brad Schimel,” Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social.
The $1 million payment went to a man named Scott A. from Green Bay, who was recognised as 'the first $1 Million spokesperson for signing our petition.'
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Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, said: “Whether or not Wisconsinites will believe this is legitimate or not probably won’t be settled until after the election.
"But this not what a Wisconsin Supreme Court election ought to be decided on. Races for the high court are supposed to be on judicial temperament and impartiality, not huge amounts of money for partisan purposes.”
Before this immense payout, the world's richest man had been offering $100 to anyone who signed the petition, with another $100 if they got someone else to sign too. This is the latest example of Musk’s growing political involvement, throwing money where he can to sway party support.
However, opposition has called his actions 'corrupt.' A spokesperson for Democratic-supported candidate, Susan Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman said: “It’s corrupt, it’s extreme, and it’s disgraceful to our state and judiciary.”