The Wisconsin Supreme Court race Tuesday will put Elon Musk’s political and financial influence to the test after he poured millions of dollars in the race to support a conservative candidate.
Musk has spent $12 million through his America PAC to support Brad Schimel over liberal candidate Susan Crawford in a race that will determine the partisan tilt on the state Supreme Court. Building America’s Future, a group that has previously received funding from Musk, has added $4.7 million to the race. On top of that, he will speak in Wisconsin on Sunday night, days before voters are set to head to the polls.
The election has been seen as the first critical bellwether of President Trump’s second term, as Democratic energy appears to be growing on the grassroots level. But much of the attention has centered on Musk, whose role in the administration has received outsized attention and whose presence in the race has given fodder to Democrats supporting Crawford.
“We're seeing a test of how much impact can one man have on a race in terms of bringing these kinds of resources to bear, which are gargantuan and which will kind of set a new benchmark that we've never really seen in terms of, you know, a person like him with groups like his spending in ways that they are,” said one Wisconsin GOP operative familiar with the strategy.
“It’s also true in the other direction with the Democrats, given how much they stake on having their messaging be about him,” he added.
Democratic donors have also opened their pockets in the race, including most notably George Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, underscoring the degree to which both sides see the election as critical.
It’s also not the only race on Tuesday Musk has gotten involved in.
In Florida, he is supporting GOP candidates Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, who are running to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, respectively, in the House. Both seats are Republican-leaning and the party expects to keep them, though some members of the party are warning it could be a closer-than-expected race for Fine in Florida’s 6th Congressional District.
But it’s the Wisconsin race that is seen as one of the first major tests for both parties. Democrats have looked to harness anger over Musk as a way to drive out their voters. And they’ve argued that Musk, whose company has pending litigation over establishing Tesla dealerships in the state, stands to benefit if Schimel wins — particularly if the litigation winds up before the state’s high court.
“First of all, in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, this is very troubling,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told The Hill. “He has a suit in the state of Wisconsin that could make its way up to the Supreme Court, and buying favor is obviously corrupt.”
Schimel has previously said he’s looking for the support of Wisconsin voters and has no control over what outside groups do.
Republicans, meanwhile, have suggested Democrats are being hypocritical about Musk’s involvement, noting that liberals like Pritzker and Soros are also wading into the race.
The GOP is applauding Musk’s contributions in the spring races.
“I think if I was in an election, I would appreciate all contributions,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told The Hill.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who is running for Florida governor, called Musk’s involvement “a great thing.”
Experts on both sides caution not to read too much into what Tuesday’s results might mean regarding Musk’s influence, noting there’s a number of factors at play that could tilt the results ...
