By Gabriel Brogan

Elon Musk has faced his first reckoning with the American people. On April 1st, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race went to liberal candidate Susan Crawford, despite Musk throwing over twenty million dollars behind conservative candidate Brad Schimel, according to BBC News. 

It was the most expensive judicial race in history, with 100 million dollars being spent to support candidates in total, according to BBC. Musk, with his 21 million dollar contribution to Schimel’s campaign, was the sole largest and most openly democracy-defying candidate. Musk’s contribution wasn’t the normal door-knocking and ad-running, instead, Musk canvassed around the state in a cheese hat handing out one hundred dollars to anyone who pledged to vote for Schimel. 

Musk used the hundred-bucks-for-a-vote strategy in PA last November, but upped the ante this time around in Wisconsin: anyone signing Musk’s pro-Schimel petition, in addition to receiving their hundred dollars, would be entered in a lottery to win 1 million dollars, according to AP news. At a rally in Green Bay, after gesticulating in his cheese hat and a few awkward cries of “Who wants a million dollars?!” Musk handed out two million-dollar checks to lucky Schimel supporters. 

If this all sounds sketchy to you, Wisconsin thinks so, too. According to a Blueprint poll after the election, 69% of Wisconsin voters disapproved of Musk’s meddling. Independents were further turned off, with 71% disapproving, and 33% saying they were less likely to vote Schimel as a result. Even 45% of Republicans were ruffled by the absurd amount of cash Musk funneled into the election.

All this disapproval was evident in the results of the election, with liberal Susan Crawford taking the Supreme Court seat 54% to 45%, according to BBC. Crawford’s win maintains a 4-3 liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The election also served as a referendum on Musk and Trump’s actions so far, with several Wisconsin counties swinging blue after going for Trump in November. Leftward shifts were especially dramatic in places where Musk campaigned. Brown County, the location of Green Bay which Trump won by a comfortable 7 points in the presidential race, went for Crawford according to AP. 

Though Musk was foiled in this power bid, some are concerned he may try something similar again. On April 10th, a group of democratic Wisconsin policymakers proposed an expansion of Wisconsin’s bribery law, which would criminalize persuading voters to sign petitions leading up to elections. “Candidates and issue groups should use the strength of their message to attract voters to their cause, not cash bribes,” said the group in a statement on Thursday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

Though trial-running future political strategies may have been part of Musk’s motivation, as these lawmakers suggest, many speculate the push for Schimel was for redistricting reasons according to BBC News. The Wisconsin Supreme Court plays a role in redistricting, and favorable district borders could help democrats win seats in the House of Representatives come midterms. Musk himself alluded to broader implications for the Wisconsin race, posting “A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization,” on X on the day of the election, according to AP.  Musk’s ridiculous antics and blatantly corrupt tactics may be finally catching up with him, and Trump knows it, too. The President told his administration that Musk will be “stepping back” from his role in government in the near future, according to Politico.