By offering money to voters who sign a petition against “activist judges,” Elon Musk's super PAC could help identify conservative voters in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
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Elon Musk's political action committee and an affiliated nonprofit have spent more than $11 million trying to elect a conservative candidate to the Wisconsin Supreme Court this year.
Elon Musk is bringing back his most controversial move from the 2024 presidential election: paying voters as part of a plan to identify and lure conservative voters.
The super PAC that Mr. Musk founded to funnel his fortune to Republican causes, America PAC, said Thursday it was offering $100 to registered voters in Wisconsin who sign a petition “against activist judges” or encourage others to sign it. Mr. Musk has used the group to spend millions of dollars to elect a conservative candidate to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the April 1 election.
The petition states: “Judges should interpret the law as it is written, not rewrite it to suit their personal or political agenda. By signing below, I reject the actions of activist judges who impose their own views and demand that the judiciary respect its role as an interpreter, not a legislator.”
The petition's goals are multifaceted: to attract media attention, increase awareness and voter registration among conservative voters, and help America PAC gather data on the most vocal Wisconsinites most likely to support conservative candidate Brad Schimel.
Mr Musk made a nearly identical maneuver in swing states ahead of the November election, sparking serious legal and political debate.
The Philadelphia district attorney sued to stop the distribution of these lottery-style payments, which amounted to $1 million to voters who signed a document supporting the First Amendment. But a day before Election Day, a Pennsylvania judge refused to stop the drawings.
America PAC's revival of petitions and the wording of its new document in Wisconsin reveal two priorities for Mr. Musk, who wields broad power in Washington.
The first is his focus on a judicial race in Wisconsin that could return control of the state’s highest court to conservatives after liberals won a major victory there in 2023. Mr. Musk’s political action committee and an affiliated nonprofit have spent more than $11 million trying to elect Judge Schimel, which would again move the contentious state to the right on issues like redistricting and abortion rights.
Electric carmaker Tesla has also filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin to challenge a state law that bars manufacturers from owning dealerships. In January, eight days after Tesla filed its lawsuit, Musk wrote on X: “It’s critical to vote Republican for the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent voter fraud.”
The second is Mr. Musk’s emerging obsession with ousting judges he believes are thwarting President Trump’s agenda. He posts daily on X about his frustrations with the federal judiciary, and the updated language in the new petition hints at that focus.
But despite a petition from Mr. Musk’s group condemning judges who openly engage in politics, few doubt the loyalty of his preferred candidate in Wisconsin: Judge Schimel, a longtime defender of Mr. Trump who dressed up as the president last Halloween.
Theodore Schleifer is a Times reporter who covers billionaires and their impact on the world. More about Theodore Schleifer
For more information, see: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Republican Party
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