US court urged to block Musk from handing millions to voters in Wisconsin race

Wisconsin’s attorney general has asked a court to block billionaire Elon Musk from handing out 1 million dollar cheques to voters this weekend, just two days before the state’s hotly contested Supreme Court race is to be decided.

Democrat Josh Kaul filed the lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court to stop Musk from making the payments, which he said he would make on Sunday in Wisconsin.

Musk initially said in a post on his social media platform, X, that he planned to “personally hand over” 2 million dollars to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the race.

He later posted a clarification, saying the money will go to people who will be “spokesmen” for an online petition against “activist” judges.

After first saying the event would only be open to people who had voted in the Supreme Court race, he said attendance would be limited to those who have signed the petition.

Also on Friday, Musk’s political action committee identified the recipient of its first 1 million dollar giveaway — a Green Bay man who had donated to the Wisconsin Republican party and the conservative candidate in the court race, and who has a history of posting support for President Donald Trump and his agenda.

Musk deleted the post about the Sunday giveaway from his social media platform, X, about 12 hours after he initially posted it late on Thursday night. He issued the clarification about an hour later.

He had posted that he planned to give 1 million dollars each to two voters at the event on Sunday, just two days before the election that will determine ideological control of the court in the battleground state.

“I will also personally hand over two cheques for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote,” Musk’s now deleted post said. “This is super important.”

The Supreme Court race has shattered previous spending records for a US judicial election and has become a referendum on Mr Musk and the first months of Trump’s administration.

Trump endorsed Brad Schimel, a fellow Republican, and hosted a telephone town hall with him on Thursday night.

“It’s a very important race,” Trump said in brief remarks by phone, in a call organised by Schimel’s campaign. “I know you feel it’s local, but it’s not. It’s really much more than local. The whole country is watching.”

Schimel, a Waukesha County judge, faces Dane County Judge Susan Crawford in Tuesday’s election.

Crawford is backed by a wide range of Democrats, including the liberal justices who hold a 4-3 majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and former president Barack Obama. The retirement this year of a liberal justice puts majority control of the court in play.

Crawford’s campaign spokesperson Derrick Honeyman called Musk’s announced visit to Wisconsin a “last-minute desperate distraction”.

“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,” he said.