First the Presidency, Now a Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, Elon Musk’s Money is All Over American Politics
MADISON, Wis. — Elon Musk’s influence in politics is expanding beyond the federal level to state elections. In Wisconsin’s upcoming Supreme Court race on April 1, 2025, a PAC founded by Musk and another largely funded by him have already spent more than $10 million backing conservative candidate Brad Schimel.
Musk founded America PAC in 2024, contributing nearly 91% of its funding, according to official records. In total, Musk donated over $275 million during the 2024 election cycle, including contributions to other PACs. This made him the largest donor of the election, with all his money supporting Donald Trump, Republicans, and conservative causes.
Another conservative Musk funded group, Building America’s Future, has started running ads attacking Republican state legislators in Wisconsin (and other states) for supporting a federal drug pricing program that requires drug manufacturers to provide discounts on drugs to hospitals that care for low-income patients, uninsured patients and for rural hospitals.
Recently, Musk and groups he has financed have also gotten involved in this year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election. America PAC and Building America’s Future have spent over a combined $10 million in support of conservative candidate, Judge Brad Schimel. Judge Schimel is anti-abortion and has expressed his support for keeping Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban in place.
The more liberal candidate, Judge Susan Crawford, has indicated that she is pro-choice and disagrees with the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The groups who have spent the most money in support of Judge Crawford include A Better Wisconsin Together and the ACLU Voter Education Fund.
Musk’s involvement in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election is notable since Tesla, Musk’s electric car company, recently sued the state of Wisconsin in a case that could end up being decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.