(The Hill) — Tech billionaire Elon Musk announced late Thursday he would be traveling to Wisconsin ahead of a high-stakes state Supreme Court race to talk with voters and hand out $1 million checks to several people who have already cast ballots.
“On Sunday night, I will give a talk in Wisconsin. Entrance is limited to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election,” Musk said in a post on X.
“I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote. This is super important,” he added.
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Conservative candidate Brad Schimel is running against liberal candidate Susan Crawford to fill a vacancy in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Whoever wins the Tuesday election will determine whether the high court remains a 5-4 liberal majority or flips to a conservative one.
Musk and President Donald Trump have endorsed Schimel, and Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, has spent millions of dollars in support of Schimel. Various local and national Democratic groups are backing Crawford in the race, with donors like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and George Soros getting involved.
Crawford campaign spokesman Derrick Honeyman responded to Musk’s plans, accusing the Trump advisor of trying to buy off Schimel in the Wisconsin race. He noted ongoing litigation in the state as Tesla looks to open dealerships up in Wisconsin, a case some believe could ultimately wind up before the state Supreme Court.
“Elon Musk has spent more than $20 million so far buying off corrupt Brad Schimel to try and secure a favorable ruling in his company’s lawsuit,” Honeyman said in a statement, further attacking Schimel over his track record on abortion and his handling of a rape test kit backlog when he was Wisconsin attorney general.
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“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,” he added.
Musk’s involvement underscores the Tesla CEO’s growing influence within the GOP and is particularly noteworthy given that Republicans have often struggled to make up the fundraising deficit against Democrats in elections.
Musk is also getting involved in a pair of special House elections in Florida next week to support the two GOP candidates running in the 1st and 6th Congressional Districts. Those districts are expected to remain within the GOP fold, though the 6th Congressional District could be closer than expected.
