Tesla CEO Elon Musk faced legal challenges on Friday over his unprecedented support for the conservative candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, with accusations of violating state election laws.
Earlier on Thursday evening, Musk announced plans for a Wisconsin rally on Sunday, promising to distribute $1 million cheques to two voters who had already participated in the election, as a gesture of gratitude for their participation.
Wisconsin’s legislation explicitly forbids offering valuable considerations in exchange for votes. This prompted numerous complaints, including legal action from Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney seeking to prevent Musk’s cheque distribution, according to the Associated Press.
Following criticism, Musk removed the original post and published a modified proposal.
“To clarify a previous post, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges. I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition,” he wrote on X.
The initial announcement sparked widespread criticism ahead of Tuesday’s election, which will establish the ideological balance of the state’s highest court.
On Friday, Attorney General Josh Kaul requested an emergency injunction from the circuit court to halt Musk’s payments, describing them as an obvious violation of Wisconsin’s anti-bribery laws.
Concerns were also raised about Musk’s political action committee, America First, offering $100 to Wisconsin voters who signed or shared a petition against “activist judges”.
The organisation recently awarded $1 million to Scott Ainsworth from Green Bay as a “spokesperson for signing our Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges”. Ainsworth has previously supported Republicans and expressed backing for President Donald Trump.
Various groups, including government oversight organisations and former officials, requested investigations into both the $1 million payment and $100 signing incentives.
Wisconsin legislation classifies offering anything valuable to influence voting decisions as a felony.
Legal specialists maintained that Musk’s initial post offering monetary incentives to voters seemed to explicitly contravene the bribery law.
“You cannot pay people to vote or not to vote,” said Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and former White House ethics chief in the Bush administration.
“He’s running these lotteries based on whether people vote or not, it’s illegal. And he’s got to cut that out,” he said.
Regarding Musk’s updated X post, Painter indicated that it “at least purports to comply with Wisconsin law.” “I guess that technically complies,” he added.
Has Musk done this before?
Musk’s political action committee employed similar strategies before the previous presidential election, investing substantial sums to support President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.
The initiative included offering daily payments of $1 million to voters in Wisconsin and six other key states who endorsed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.
In Pennsylvania, while the district attorney pursued legal action to halt these payments, a judicial ruling determined that prosecutors couldn’t establish the programme as an illegal lottery, allowing it to proceed until Election Day, the Associated Press reported.
How is Musk involved in the race?
The Brennan Center for Justice reports that Musk-funded organisations, America PAC and Building for America’s Future, have invested over $20 million to support conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who received Trump’s endorsement last week.
Schimel competes against Democratic-supported Susan Crawford from Dane County Circuit Court in a contest that will establish the court’s ideological direction. The current court maintains a 4-3 liberal majority.
Additionally, Musk has provided £3 million to Wisconsin’s Republican Party, funds potentially transferable to Schimel’s campaign.
This external funding has established this as the costliest judicial election in American history, with expenditure exceeding $81 million, surpassing the previous $51 million record from two years prior.
The election outcome will determine court control and has evolved into an assessment of Trump’s initial weeks in office and Musk’s influence.
Musk’s involvement coincided with Tesla’s legal action against Wisconsin regarding dealership establishment permissions, a matter potentially reaching the justices.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court anticipates ruling on significant national matters, including abortion rights, congressional redistricting and voting regulations, potentially influencing the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election.
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