Elon Musk has given $1 million to a Green Bay man who signed his petition opposing “activist judges.”
The seven-figure payment comes days before the April 1 election where PACs associated with Musk have spent tens of millions to support the campaign of conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel in the high-stakes race against liberal candidate Susan Crawford.
In a Wednesday night post to the billionaire’s social media platform, X, Musk said the “first million dollar award” for supporters of his petition went to a man named Scott A from Green Bay.
“Next million dollar award will be announced in 2 days,” Musk said.
Musk used the same approach last year to drive voter registration in swing states ahead of President Donald Trump’s reelection in November. An Eau Claire man reportedly received a $1 million payment in October.
That month, the Department of Justice warned his PAC the payments could be illegal.
Last week, Musk’s America PAC announced that anyone supporting the petition would receive $100 in exchange for their signatures. There was no mention of the upcoming million dollar awards.
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Musk and his PACs have already spent around $20 million supporting Schimel.
Schimel says he didn’t know about the payment ahead of time
During a campaign stop in Eau Claire with former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Schimel said he didn’t know about the giveaway from Musk’s America PAC group.
“I think we all know what that’s about,” Schimel said. “He wants to get their information so that they can be sent, basically, ads, right?”
When asked if he thinks the million dollar gifts will help his campaign for Supreme Court, Schimel said they would not.
“I also am against activist judges,” Schimel said. “So, I thought about maybe putting my name on that, but I thought it might not look good.”
A statement from Crawford’s campaign called Musk’s payments an attempt to prop up “Schimel’s failing campaign” and buy influence on the court “for his company’s lawsuit.”
Musk’s electric car company Tesla is currently suing the state over a decision preventing the company from opening dealerships in Wisconsin.
“It’s corrupt, it’s extreme, and it’s disgraceful to our state and judiciary,” said Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. “Wisconsinites should vote for the fair and common sense candidate on Tuesday, Judge Susan Crawford.”
Since Musk has become heavily involved in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has held town halls aimed at capitalizing on supporters’ anger about federal cuts and layoffs initiated by President Donald Trump and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Schimel hasn’t shied away from Musk’s help. He participated in an online forum with the world’s richest man and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who said if Schimel wins on Tuesday, “we have to thank Elon for all the support he’s given this race.” Schimel has also been working hard to encourage conservatives who voted for Trump in November to turnout for him on April 1.
Still, during Thursday’s stop in Eau Claire, Schimel said he doesn’t think the Supreme Court election should be about the president or Musk.
“I hope this isn’t some kind of a referendum on President Trump or Elon Musk, because this should be a decision on who’s on our supreme court next,” Schimel said.
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