Elon Musk’s heavy investment in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election failed to pay off, with Democrat-backed Susan Crawford winning the seat that decides control of the judiciary.
The Associated Press called the race for Crawford Tuesday at 10:16 p.m. ET.
Musk spent over 20 million supporting Brad Schimel, and several million more in petition giveaway raising awareness about the election, but the Republican-endorsed candidate was unsuccessful, resulting in a 4-3 liberal majority in the judiciary.
Newsweek contacted Elon Musk and America PAC for comment on this story via email.
Why It Matters
While state-level supreme court elections are traditionally lower stakes than national races, the Wisconsin election gained nationwide attention, as it was a key contest in a swing state that would decide if a liberal or conservative majority would hold the judiciary there.
It is one of the first major elections to take place since Trump, and Musk, came to power, making the contest a referendum on their ability to influence down-ballot elections.
How Much Did Elon Musk Spend in Wisconsin?
Elon Musk spent $22 million directly supporting Schimel, via donations from America PAC, which Musk originally founded in 2024 to support President Donald Trump, according to reports from CNN.
In addition to this, Musk funded a series of giveaways, also run through America PAC, for a petition that called on voters to reject “activist judges”, language that Musk has repeatedly use to describe liberals in the judiciary.
Voters who signed the petition were offered $100, with three participants being offered checks worth $1 million. Additionally, participants were encouraged to become campaign “captains”, earning an extra $20 for each Wisconsin resident they “recruited”.
This means that overall, Musk spent at least $25 million on the election, with the exact total likely to be higher once petition costs are fully paid.
Musk’s contributions made the Wisconsin race the most expensive state supreme court election in U.S., history, with his spending alone making up over a quarter of the $90 million spent across all parties, according the Brennan Center for Justice.
What People Are Saying
Derrick Honeyman, spokesperson for Susan Crawford’s campaign, told Newsweek before the election results: “We’ve always known Brad Schimel is a bad candidate—he wants to take Wisconsin back to 1849 with an extreme abortion ban.
“But it turns out that Schimel is such a bad candidate that Elon Musk will spend whatever it takes to prop up Schimel’s failing campaign in a corrupt attempt to buy influence on the Supreme Court for his company’s lawsuit. It’s corrupt, it’s extreme, and it’s disgraceful to our state and judiciary.”
What Happens Next
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will continue to have a 4-3 liberal majority as it considers critical issues, with legislation on abortion, redistricting, and unions all heading to the judiciary in the coming years.
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