GREEN BAY, Wis. (Diya TV) — Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk put himself in the middle of the hotly contested Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election by handing out $1 million checks to two voters at a Green Bay rally. The move comes after the Wisconsin Supreme Court dismissed Attorney General Josh Kaul’s bid to shut down the payments, which he claimed were illegal under state statutes against vote-inducing financial rewards.
Musk’s involvement started when his America PAC provided $100 to Wisconsin registered voters who signed a petition against “activist judges.” He subsequently revealed that he was going to personally give $1 million apiece to two of those voters who cast ballots in the Supreme Court election. While Musk removed the first announcement, he went ahead and conducted the event, presenting the checks to Ekaterina Diestler and Nicholas Jacobs, who signed the petition.
Wisconsin Attorney General Kaul sued in an attempt to get an injunction to stop Musk from making such payments, arguing under Wisconsin statutes that prohibit making anything of value to influence votes. The case was not taken up by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and as a result, Musk’s event went ahead undeterred.
Musk’s monetary investment has heavily impacted the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, donating more than $20 million to conservative candidate Brad Schimel. This has galvanized both sides, with Democrats casting the election as “People vs. Musk” and redoubling efforts to support liberal candidate Susan Crawford.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court race is consequential, with the potential for abortion access, redistricting, and voting law to be affected. Musk’s record-breaking financial donations and direct voter payments have sparked concerns about money in the judiciary election and the limits on political engagement from the rich.
