Madison, Wis. – Judge Susan Crawford retained the narrow majority of liberals in the Supreme Wisconsin Court Tuesday by defeating the conservative Brad Schimel, but somehow the real loser of the elections was a billionaire ELON ALMIZCLE.
Musk and their affiliated groups sank at least $ 21 million in the race normally low profile and paid three individual voters $ 1 million each to sign a request in an effort to goose participation in the state fundamental battlefield contest. That made the race the first important evidence of Musk’s political impact, whose prominence in the administration of President Donald Trump has shot himself with his chaotic cost Initiative that has reduced federal agencies.
Crawford and the Democrats who backed her made musk The focus Of his arguments to maintain the seat, stating that he was “buying” the elections, which established records for the most expensive judicial career in history.
“Today, the Wisconsinitas defended an unprecedented attack against our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,” Crawford said in his victory speech. “And Wisconsin stood up and said aloud that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.”
Trump supported Schimel when the race became a power struggle on national political issues. The Superior Court of the State may rule the cases that involve the rights of voting and the redistribution of districts in a state that is probably in the center of both The mid -period elections next year and the presidential contest 2028.
But Musk’s participation I marked those dynamics Until 11: “A seemingly small choice could determine the fate of Western civilization,” said the billionaire on Tuesday in a last call to voters in his social media site X. “I think it is important for the future of the world.”
In particular, America PAC, the Super PAC backed by Musk, spent at least $ 6 million in vendors who sent smooth door to door throughout the state, according to the non -partisan democracy campaign of Wisconsin. It was a repetition of what the group did in the seven most competitive presidential battlefield states, including Wisconsin, which were taken by Trump in November.
But the final results this time were not good for musk. Despite the millions he spent in Schimel, at the end of Tuesday night, the candidate of the Supreme Court was losing for four percentage points more than the other state candidate backed by the Republicans, Brittany Kinser, who also fell short in his commitment to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The defeat of Musk’s judicial career was not just to crush democratic margins in deep blue cities such as Madison and Milwaukee. The margins of Crawford were higher in places where the group backed by Almizcle America Pac had been active, including Sauk County, just north of Madison, which Crawford had 10 points after Trump won it for less than 2 points in November.
In Brown County, Green Bay’s house, where Musk led a campaign demonstration with 2,000 people on Sunday, Crawford beat Schimel. Trump won the county for 7 percentage points last year.
During the night, Musk published on his platform X that “the long scam on the left is the corruption of the Judiciary.” In another comment, it seemed to become comfort for the approval of voters to raise the photographic identification requirement of the state of the state law to the constitutional amendment. The platform was full of criticism of Trump’s opponents for their participation in the race.
“Please send @elonmusk to all nearby races!” Jon Favreau, former speeches writer for President Barack Obama, wrote.
“Elon Musk is not good in this,” JB Pritzker, Democratic governor of Illinois and multimillionaire who donated to support Crawford, published in X.
Voters definitely had musk in their minds.
“There is a crazy situation with the Trump administration, and it seems that Elon Musk is trying to buy votes,” said Kenneth Gifford, a 22 -year -old Milwaukee College student, while throwing his vote on Tuesday. “I want a real and respectable democracy.”
It is possible that others have not decided their billionaire vote, but they were too aware of the money that pours in their state.
Jim Seeger, a 68 -year -old retiree who previously worked in communications and marketing, said he voted for Schimel because he wants Republicans to maintain their majority huge in the delegation of the Wisconsin Congress, which could be at risk if Crawford wins and the court orders the maps to go back to work. But, he added, he was disappointed that the elections had become a “financial career.”
“I think it’s a shame that we have to spend so much money, especially in a judicial career,” Seger said as he voted in Eau Claire.
Wisconsin Democratic Attorney, Josh Kaul, defendant To prohibit Musk from making their payments to voters if they signed a petition against the “activist judges.” The Supreme Court of the State unanimously refused to govern the case on a technicalism.
Musk got into the race shortly after Trump’s inauguration. Republicans were pessimistic about winning the seat. They lost a conservative majority for a long time in the State Superior Court in 2023, and the Democrats have stood out in being their policy policy and politically tuned during dark elections such as Wisconsin.
Musk doubled and expanded some of the methods he used in the last weeks of last year’s presidential race, when he spent more than $ 200 million in the name of Trump in the seven swing states, including Wisconsin.
This time, in addition to $ 1 million checks, Musk offered to pay $ 20 to anyone who registered on the site of his group to call the doors of Schimel and published a photo of themselves as proof. His organization promised $ 100 to each voter who signed the petition against liberal judges and another $ 100 for each signatory to those who referred.
Democrats were happy to make Musk a lightning rod In the race.
“People do not want to see Elon Musk buying the elections after the elections after the elections,” said the president of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Ben Wikler. “If it works here, it will do it throughout the country.”
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Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writer, Meg Kinnard in Washington, contributed to this report.
