Elon Musk Plans Wisconsin Visit To Give $2 Million to 2 People, But Faces Legal Challenge

Billionaire Elon Musk says he’ll visit Wisconsin Sunday to personally give $1 million each to two people ahead of the state’s pivotal Supreme Court election, despite a state law that explicitly bans giving people anything of value in exchange for voting.

Democratic state Attorney General Josh Kaul says the Wisconsin Department of Justice intends to take legal action “to stop this from happening.”

Musk announced the step on his social media platform, X. After it was scrutinized as a possible violation of Wisconsin’s bribery statute, he deleted the initial post and reworded a new one.

Musk said in his original post that he would “give a talk in Wisconsin.”

“Entrance is limited to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election,” he wrote. “I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote. This is super important.”

The initial post was published late Thursday and remained online for most of Friday morning before it was deleted. Just after noon, Musk posted an update on X and said that while his Sunday night visit is still on, the million-dollar payments are no longer reserved only for people who have voted.

“To clarify a previous post, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges,” Musk said. “I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition.”

On Friday afternoon, a statement from Kaul said the DOJ is aware of Musk’s planned giveaway this weekend. “Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening,” Kaul said.

Musk and groups connected to him have already given more than $20 million to support the campaign of conservative Judge Brad Schimel in his race against liberal Judge Susan Crawford. While Crawford has her own big donors and her campaign has outraised Schimel’s, the overall amount spent by Musk and his affiliated political action committees has made him far and away the biggest financial player in the race.

The money Musk is paying voters stems from a giveaway that started last week, with Musk’s announcement that he would give people $100 if they sign a petition opposing “activist judges.” At the time, there was no mention of his plan to give out seven-figure awards.

On Thursday, Musk announced that “Scott A. From Green Bay” would receive the first $1 million award for signing the petition. Musk used the same tactic last year to drive voter registration in swing states ahead of President Donald Trump’s reelection. An Eau Claire man reportedly received a $1 million payment in October.

But Musk’s Thursday night announcement that he would hand out two $1 million payments “in appreciation” for people who had already voted would have been a new tactic, one that could be illegal in Wisconsin. A state law that bans election bribery specifically prohibits anyone from giving “anything of value” to vote.

In a social media post Friday morning, Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Musk appeared to be crossing a line. “Earlier payments were for registering but this is for voting,” Burden said. “A clear violation of the state’s election bribery law.”

Crawford campaign spokesperson Derrick Honeyman issued a statement that didn’t address the direct payments but blasted Musk’s visit as an attempt to distract from Schimel’s record.

“Wisconsinites don’t want a billionaire like Musk telling them who to vote for, and on Tuesday, voters should reject Musk’s lackey Brad Schimel,” Honeyman said.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler was more explicit. In a statement, he said “Elon Musk has committed a blatant felony.” “Musk’s illegal election bribery scheme to put Brad Schimel on the Supreme Court is a chainsaw attack on democracy and the rule of law in Wisconsin and our nation,” Wikler said.

Perhaps no figure has been more central to Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race than Musk, whose prominent role leading President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has made him a lightning rod in the early days of the Trump presidency. Musk has overseen the firing of tens of thousands of federal employees and the abrupt defunding of government programs, not to mention the effective shuttering of an entire government agency.

Musk’s outspoken approach has made him a hero to many Trump supporters and a villain to voters on the left. Wisconsin Democrats have tried to seize the political moment, launching a “People v. Musk” campaign that ties Musk to Schimel. Attacks from Crawford’s campaign and others have increasingly focused on the world’s richest man.

At the same time, Schimel has welcomed Musk’s help with open arms, joining him for an online forum over the weekend where Musk suggested the Wisconsin Supreme Court race could determine the direction of the country at large. For Schimel, it’s part of an ongoing strategy to mobilize Trump voters, who turned out in droves last year but typically stay home in lower-turnout elections like the race for the court.

When Schimel was asked Thursday about Musk’s initial $1 million payment, he said he didn’t think it would affect his race.

“I also am against activist judges,” Schimel said Thursday. “So, I thought about maybe putting my name on that, but I thought it might not look good.”

Early voting, once primarily an emphasis for Democrats, has been a priority for both parties in this election. As of Friday morning, about 544,000 residents had returned absentee ballots, more than half of which were cast in-person.

Editor’s note: This story will be updated.

Elon Musk plans Wisconsin visit to give $2M to 2 people ahead of state Supreme Court race was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.