Sorry Elon – Wisconsin’s Justice System Isn’t For Sale
The advantages of Elon Musk's immense wealth are increasingly being eclipsed by his phenomenally toxic personal brand, reports Matt Gallagher
Donald Trump may have dubbed Wednesday “Liberation Day” – his chosen title for both the 2025 Inauguration and the rollout of sweeping global tariffs – but the real liberation story was unfolding hundreds of miles away, at polling stations across battleground Wisconsin.
While Trump held court in the White House’s Rose Garden, rattling off percentages and promising economic renewal, Wisconsin voters quietly delivered a resounding message of their own. In the most expensive judicial race in US history, Democrat-aligned judge Susan Crawford defeated Republican-aligned Brad Schimel, preserving the state Supreme Court’s liberal majority and sending shockwaves through the electoral landscape.
“As a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin. And we won!” Crawford remarked at her victory speech on Wednesday.
Judicial races in Wisconsin are officially nonpartisan, but this one was a political spectacle. Schimel emerged as MAGA’s avatar, while Crawford became a stand-in for the anti-Trump opposition. The race turned into a proxy war between national figures, none more prominent than the world’s richest man and Trump’s loudest megaphone: Elon Musk.
At a Green Bay rally on Sunday (one that Schimel notably skipped) Musk declared the race vital to the “course of Western civilisation,” claiming, as he has in previous elections, that it would “affect the entire destiny of humanity.” That exigent message was slightly undercut by the Cheesehead hat Musk wore, a clumsy nod to Wisconsin sports culture.
Whatever you think of the X owner he certainly puts his money where his mouth is. Musk-aligned Political Action Committees (PACs) poured over $20 million into Schimel’s campaign, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, far outspending Democrats despite GOP claims to the contrary.
And that’s not counting the $1 million checks Musk handed out to two recipients at his Sunday rally. One lucky voter, Ekaterina Diceler, filmed herself saying she’d followed Musk’s instructions: sign a petition, refer others, and “vote.” The clip, uploaded by Musk’s America PAC, was swiftly pulled from ‘X’ and reposted with the word “vote” removed.
But it wasn’t just the money. Trump-affiliated group Look Ahead America allegedly texted 250,000 Wisconsin voters a suggestive photo of model and actress Emily Ratajkowski captioned, “🚨Now that we have your attention… a critical special election is happening TOMORROW!” The message urged votes for Schimel and for a photo ID referendum, which did pass.
Still, the Court couldn’t be bought. Every county in the state swung left from November. Crawford flipped ten Trump counties and turnout soared 40% above the previous Supreme Court race. Her win holds major legal implications: future rulings on abortion, public sector unions, and gerrymandering potentially hang in the balance.
Politically, this is a significant loss for Elon Musk. His once-feared ability to bankroll MAGA primary challengers is looking less like a threat and more like a bluff. The benefits of his money are now eclipsed by his increasingly toxic personal brand.
The Senate’s upcoming budget resolution, a key moment for internal party discipline, will highlight the new state of play. With Musk’s political stock falling – and his name radioactive among suburban swing voters – Republican Senators may feel freer to buck MAGA demands, particularly on budget items tied to Musk-favoured deregulation. The billionaire’s leverage is weakening.
For down-ballot Republicans, Musk’s money might still fund races, but his physical presence is increasingly seen as a liability. Candidates are less eager to share a stage with a man polling poorly across party lines, whose chaotic behaviour turns off more voters than it turns out.
Donald Trump seems to recognise this. He’s reportedly told confidants that Musk will be taking a backseat going forward – a significant demotion for the billionaire who’s been close by the President’s side since the campaign trail.
Democrats, meanwhile, have an opportunity. They still lack a cogent message against Trump’s authoritarian turn, but Wisconsin offered a powerful one: people power over billionaire influence. The race underscored the damage wrought by the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision – which also allowed Wisconsin Republicans to dismantle state level campaign finance regulations – and highlighted the backlash against elite meddling in politics.
But the opposition is, of course, also susceptible to the power of money in politics. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), tethered to leadership and tasked with winning back the House, has received over $4 million in 2025 alone from lobbying firm Invariant, which represents Musk’s SpaceX and Peter Thiel’s Palantir, among others.
At the same time, populist Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have successfully hit Musk as a rhetorical punching bag on their ‘Stop Oligarchy’ tour, though the broader party leadership has kept a measure of distance. Their success in red states and in electoral battlegrounds suggest the anti-oligarchy message has legs.
The momentum is shifting. Wisconsin was a decisive win. Gaps in Florida’s US House districts are narrowing. And Democratic Senator Cory Booker just shattered segregationist Strom Thurmond’s record in congress with a 25-hour protest speech – a symbolic moment, but one that suggests renewed energy on the left.
‘Liberation Day’ may have belonged to Trump, but Wisconsin voters offered their own declaration of independence on Wednesday – is it a sign of what’s to come?