It was late March 2025, and Green Bay, Wisconsin, felt more like a tech product launch than a judicial election hub. Elon Musk stood on a stage, wearing a yellow foam cheesehead, personally handing over million-dollar checks to random voters. People were stunned. This wasn't just another boring court race. It was a high-stakes collision between the world's richest man and the future of a crucial swing state’s highest bench.
Money in politics is nothing new, but what we saw with the Wisconsin Supreme Court Musk saga was on a different level.
By the time the dust settled on the April 1, 2025, election, the numbers were staggering. This wasn't a "million-dollar race." It was a $100 million explosion. To put that in perspective, it was nearly double the previous national record set just two years earlier.
The Night Elon Musk Played Santa in a Cheesehead
Musk didn't just write checks to the GOP. He made it personal. He showed up.
Basically, his America PAC started offering $100 to any registered Wisconsin voter who signed a petition against "activist judges." Sounds simple, right? Then he upped the ante. He announced he’d give away $1 million prizes. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul wasn't having it. He sued, arguing that Musk was essentially bribing people to vote.
But legal maneuvering is a game Musk knows well.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court Musk legal battle moved at lightning speed. Just days before the election, Musk deleted a tweet that suggested the money was for "taking the time to vote" and rebranded it as a payment for "spokespeople" for his petition. On the Sunday before the Tuesday vote, the Wisconsin Supreme Court—the very body he was trying to influence—declined to stop the giveaways.
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They didn't say why. They just let it happen.
Musk took the stage in Green Bay and handed $1 million checks to two people, including Nicholas Jacobs, who happened to be the chairman of the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans. For a lot of folks in Wisconsin, it felt less like a grassroots movement and more like an oligarchy test drive.
Why the Wisconsin Supreme Court Musk Drama Mattered
You might wonder why a billionaire who spends his time launching rockets and running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cared about a state-level judge in the Midwest.
The stakes were massive:
- Abortion Access: The court was poised to decide the fate of a decades-old abortion ban.
- Voting Maps: Gerrymandering cases were on the horizon that could shift the balance of the U.S. House in 2027.
- Labor Laws: Union powers and collective bargaining for public workers were on the chopping block.
There was also a more personal angle. Musk's company, Tesla, had a lawsuit pending in Wisconsin at the time. They were fighting a regulatory rule that stopped car manufacturers from owning their own dealerships. If that case worked its way up, having a conservative majority on the court wouldn't exactly hurt his chances.
Musk went all-in on Brad Schimel, a conservative Waukesha County judge. He spent roughly $25 million through various PACs and direct donations. His opponent, liberal Judge Susan Crawford, leaned into the fight. She started calling him "Elon Schimel" during debates. She turned the election into a referendum on whether Wisconsin's justice system was for sale.
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The $100 Million Receipt
Most people don't realize how much the spending eclipsed everything we've ever seen in a judicial race. Here is how the money broke down in the final tallies:
The total spend hit approximately $103 million.
The previous record was $51 million (Wisconsin, 2023).
Brad Schimel (backed by Musk) and his supporters spent about $54 million.
Susan Crawford and her supporters spent about $46.2 million.
Honestly, it’s wild to think that $100 million was spent on a single seat for a state court. That’s more than what was spent on dozens of supreme court races across 26 different states in previous years combined.
The Result: When "Oligarchy" Met the Ballot Box
Despite the cheesehead, the million-dollar checks, and the door-to-door canvassing funded by America PAC, Musk lost.
He didn't just lose; he got hammered.
Susan Crawford won by about 10 percentage points. The "People vs. Musk" campaign, as the Democrats called it, seemed to work. They painted Musk as a villainous outsider trying to buy the state's values. Even in Brown County (home to Green Bay), where Musk held his big rally, Schimel lost by 3 points.
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Voters basically looked at the $1 million checks and decided they didn't like being told what to do by a billionaire from California and Texas.
What This Means for You Right Now
If you're following the Wisconsin Supreme Court Musk fallout today, the implications are still rippling through the 2026 election cycle.
- The "Musk Factor" is a double-edged sword. While his money is unlimited, his public persona is polarizing. In Wisconsin, his presence actually boosted liberal turnout. If you're a political strategist, you're now asking: Is Elon's endorsement a gift or a curse?
- Judicial Ethics are under the microscope. The fact that Tesla had a pending lawsuit while Musk was funding a candidate's race has led to renewed calls for stricter recusal rules. Right now, Wisconsin judges aren't strictly required to recuse themselves just because a donor spent money on their behalf.
- Spending won't slow down. Even though Musk's candidate lost, the precedent for $100 million court races is set. Expect the 2026 race—where liberal Judge Chris Taylor is already raising record amounts—to be just as expensive.
By May 2025, Musk actually announced he would be scaling back his political spending after the "flop" in Wisconsin. He claimed he wanted to focus more on his businesses and his role in the federal government. But don't expect him to disappear. The "Wisconsin model" proved that even the world's richest man can't always buy a seat on the bench, but it also proved that state courts are now the primary battlefield for American politics.
Actionable Insights for Wisconsin Residents
- Check the Donor Lists: Before the 2026 judicial elections, use the Wisconsin Ethics Commission portal to see who is actually funding the "independent" ads you see on TV.
- Monitor Recusal Filings: If you are following the Tesla dealership case or any union-related litigation, watch for recusal motions. These are the formal ways lawyers try to keep "bought" influence out of the courtroom.
- Verify Petition Prizes: If you are offered money to sign a political petition, be aware of the "spokesperson" loophole. While it might be legal in some contexts, it often triggers heavy DOJ scrutiny and could land you in the middle of a legal firestorm.
The era of the "quiet" judicial election is over. Between the Wisconsin Supreme Court Musk circus and the rising national focus on state laws, these races are now the main event.
Keep an eye on the 2026 filings. The money is already starting to flow again.