Musk Attacks Democrats, Claims ‘Corruption Of The Judiciary’ After Losing Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Topline

Liberal candidate Susan Crawford defeated Elon Musk-backed conservative judge Brad Schimel to preserve a 4-3 liberal majority in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, capping off the nation’s most expensive state Supreme Court race ever, with nearly $100 million spent on campaigning.

Key Facts

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What Was Elon Musk’s Involvement In The Race?

The race to fill the vacant state Supreme Court seat emerged as a proxy fight between national Republicans and Democrats with Schimel’s candidacy being endorsed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, while Crawford received support from former President Barack Obama. Musk was heavily involved in campaigning for Schimel in the past few weeks and courted controversy by giving away two $1 million checks to voters at a rally on Sunday. At the rally, where Musk showed up in cheesehead hat, the billionaire told the crowd that, “Everybody’s got to mobilize everywhere like crazy for the next 48 hours...I think this will be important for the future of civilization. It’s that significant.”

How Much Money Did Musk Pour Into The Race?

Citing public filings, the Brennan Center for Justice reported that groups affiliated with Musk spent at least $18.2 million to back Schimel. This includes a $12.26 million contribution from Musk’s America PAC and $5.9 million from Building America's Future—which is also backed by Musk. The billionaire also donated $3 million to the Republican Party of Wisconsin, which backed Schimel’s candidacy.

What Is The Total Amount Spent On The Wisconsin Race?

Total spend in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election topped $98.5 million, making it the most expensive state Supreme Court race in history, according to ABC News. Around $53.3 million in total was spent on backing Schimel’s candidacy, while nearly $45.2 million was spent to support Crawford, according to the Brennan Center for Justice’s tally.

Tangent

Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution to make photo IDs a requirement for voting in the state, a result hailed by Musk and Trump. Rules requiring voters to carry photo IDs to the poll have been in place for several years but the ballot measure enshrines the rule into the state’s constitution—making it harder to amend or scrap in the future. Musk reposted a tweet from America PAC about the ballot measure passing and wrote: “Yeah!”. On his Truth Social platform, the president wrote: “VOTER I.D. JUST APPROVED IN WISCONSIN ELECTION. Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT. This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT.”

What Has Elon Musk Said About Schimel's Defeat?

Musk has not directly mentioned the election result, but the billionaire appeared to allude to it in an X post, saying: “The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary.” Musk then responded to a post from Sen. Mike Lee’s, R-Utah., personal account complaining about judicial academia saying: “Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean by long. It has been brewing in legal academia for 20 to 30 years.”

How Have Top Democracts Reacted To The Result?

Former President Barack Obama, who had endorsed Crawford, hailed her victory on X, tweeting: “Congratulations to Judge Susan Crawford on her victory, and to the people of Wisconsin for electing a judge who believes in the rule of law and protecting our freedoms.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted: “Judge Susan Crawford's victory is a victory for working people in Wisconsin. She will take her seat on the bench and continue to uphold the rights and protect the freedoms of all people in her state.”

Crucial Quote

“I’ve got to tell you, as a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin and we won,” Crawford said in her victory speech. “Today Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy,” she added later.

Further Reading

Elon Musk’s PAC Gave $1 Million To College Republican Leader In Wisconsin Giveaway—Why That Might Not Be A Coincidence (Forbes)

Wisconsin Supreme Court Race: Why Elon Musk And Fellow Billionaires Are Spending Millions On Today’s Election (Forbes)

Democratic-backed Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, cementing liberal majority (Associated Press)