Tangent
Musk supported Schimel, a former attorney general under former Gov. Scott Walker, because he believed a Republican-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court would do more to “prevent voting fraud,” he said. President Donald Trump also campaigned for Schimel, who is staunchly MAGA. The race was widely viewed as a litmus test of Trump’s early second-term agenda, which was driven largely by Musk. At the time, Tesla had recently filed a lawsuit seeking to open dealerships within the state. Musk gave more than $20 million to groups backing Schimel, making it the most expensive judicial election in history. Schimel lost to liberal Justice Susan M. Crawford by 10 percentage points.
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Key Background
The liberal-leaning state Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul ahead of the spring 2025 election to block Musk from awarding the $1 million checks. The liberal firm Law Forward also filed a lawsuit against Musk accusing him of violating the election bribery law. That lawsuit is pending. Voters filed a class action lawsuit against America PAC over its giveaway in the 2024 presidential election after the PAC admitted it did not choose the winners at random, arguing they were defrauded to believe they would have a chance at the winnings if they signed the PAC’s petition. A judge ordered Musk last month to testify under oath in that lawsuit.
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further reading
Elon Musk’s PAC Gave $1 Million To College Republican Leader In Wisconsin Giveaway—Why That Might Not Be A Coincidence (Forbes)
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