Elon Musk has already poured in millions of dollars into the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election to help Waukesha County judge and conservative candidate Brad Schimel defeat Dane County judge and liberal candidate Susan Crawford.
Now, the billionaire says he’s coming to the state two days before the high-stakes election.
The tech giant and leader of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency agency, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday night that he’ll be in Wisconsin on Sunday.
Musk, the world’s richest person, initially said he will give out two $1 million checks to people who have already voted. However, by late Friday morning, Musk’s post has since been deleted. Musk owns X.
Shortly after, though, he posted again, clarifying that the checks would be given to individuals who would serve as spokespeople for his “Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges.” The new post also no longer said attendance would be limited “to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election,” as the original post had said.
Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said Friday that he planned to take legal action to stop the payments.
Elon Musk in a since-deleted post on X said he would visit Wisconsin on Sunday and hand out $1 million checks to two voters. The post was deleted after election law experts raised questions about whether his offer violated state election bribery laws.
Here’s what we know about his announcement and his growing presence and financial contributions in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race:
Where will Elon Musk speak in Wisconsin?
Musk didn’t mention in either of his tweets where in Wisconsin he’d be speaking Sunday.
In the second post, he just wrote that he’ll give a talk in the state and that entrance will be limited to those who’ve signed the petition against “activist judges.”
Elon Musk Wisconsin petition, America PAC
Musk’s giveaway to Wisconsin voters comes after a Green Bay man received $1 million from Elon Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
The man, who has been identified as Scott Ainsworth, signed Musk’s “Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges.”
America PAC also said it’ll pay Wisconsin voters $100 to sign the petition, Axios reported. The plan could be illegal under state law, one Wisconsin election lawyer said. It’s illegal for voters to receive or accept any money for their vote, according to state statutes.
Elon Musk attends a Trump Cabinet meeting at the White House on March 24, 2025.
Musk has spent $11.5 million through America PAC to promote Schimel and attack Crawford in the Supreme Court race. He’s the largest donor in the race for either campaign.
Musk has funneled in nearly $20 million in support of Schimel, campaign records show. Musk, who campaigned for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, gave away millions of dollars last fall through his political action committee in swing states. Legal challenges failed.
When Trump won the presidency, he made Musk the head of DOGE, which he started that has gone on to fire thousands of federal employees from agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, National Park Service, the Agriculture Department and more.
Elon Musk net worth
Musk is the world’s richest person with a net worth of over $344.9 billion, according to Forbes.
He co-founded several companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and xAI, an artificial startup. He bought Twitter, which he renamed X, for $44 billion in 2022.
Donald Trump has endorsed Brad Schimel in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Musk isn’t the only prominent name advocating for Schimel. President Donald Trump has been stumping hard for Schimel in recent days.
He endorsed Schimel last week on social media and, on Thursday, he appeared on a public call with the Waukesha County judge.
Trump encouraged voters to vote for Schimel and called Crawford a “hand-picked candidate of the Communists and Marxists.” Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has endorsed Crawford, saying “there’s only one candidate ready to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites: Judge Susan Crawford.”
Wisconsin elections: Tuesday begins six straight years of state Supreme Court races
Wisconsin early voting
Nearly 500,000 people have already voted in Wisconsin for Tuesday’s spring election with the Supreme Court battle between Schimel and Crawford the headliner.
The winner will help shape the ideological philosophies in Wisconsin. Liberal justices have a slim 4-3 lead heading into the election.
Voters will also determine the state’s top education official as well as whether to make voter ID law permanent and add it to the state constitution. Voter ID is already a requirement in the state.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Elon Musk in Wisconsin: What we know about DOGE leader’s visit
