During a rally in Wisconsin on Sunday, tech billionaire Elon Musk handed out $1 million checks to two Wisconsin voters he deemed spokespeople for his cause ahead of the state’s Supreme Court election.
On April 1, Wisconsin residents will return to the polls to vote on the state’s empty Supreme Court seat. Musk, who has become ingrained in President Trump’s administration, has been campaigning in the state for the conservative running for the seat, Brad Schimel.
To help encourage voter turnout for Schimel, Musk began running a $1 million check giveaway, with the winners having to show they voted for and donated to GOP campaigns while also having a history of supporting President Trump.
Musk said that only “spokesmen” for an online petition against judges deemed to be “activists” would be eligible for the million dollars.
During the rally, Musk, who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to cut government funding, wore an iconic cheese hat while supporting Schimel.
“I think this will be important for the future of civilization,” Musk said. “It’s that’s significant.”
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, sued Musk over his giveaway and asked the state Supreme Court to step in and stop it. However, the court decided unanimously at the last minute not to hear the lawsuit. Two lower courts also rejected Kaul’s lawsuit.
The court is currently controlled 4-3 by liberal justices, and they did not provide an explanation for the eleventh-hour decision.
Wisconsin remains a highly contested battleground state, and many have argued that Musk’s support for Schimmel, which has included millions in donations, is so he can influence the court.
Those on the left are concerned about the state’s upcoming redistricting and how a conservative majority would impact district lines should Schimel flip the court to a 4-3 conservative majority. However, Musk has argued that Democrats would gerrymander the new district lines if they maintain control of the court.
“And if the [Wisconsin] Supreme Court is able to redraw the districts, they will gerrymander the district and deprive Wisconsin of two seats on the Republican side. Then they will try to stop all the government reforms we are getting done for you, the American people,” Musk said.
Other topics still on the table for the state’s Supreme Court to rule on include abortion rights, union power, and voting rules.