Musk says he’ll be in Wisconsin on Sunday for a talk — and to give away $2 million.
But he’s changed the terms of who can qualify for the payout, though Dem AG Josh Kaul today raised the prospect of his agency taking legal action.
In a post last night on X, Musk didn’t offer any details on where he plans to deliver the talk at an event that was to be limited to those who have voted in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race.
“I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote,” he wrote. “This is super important.”
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Following an outcry that kind of payment would violate state law barring giving voters anything of value to cast a ballot, Musk deleted his original post and added another stating entrance to the event would be limited to those who have signed an online petition opposing “activist judges.” He added the million-dollar checks would also now go to people to be spokesmen for the petition.
After Musk revised the offer, Kaul said a in statement, “The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that elections in Wisconsin are safe, secure, free, and fair. We are aware of the offer recently posted by Elon Musk to award a million dollars to two people at an event in Wisconsin this weekend. Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening.”
It is the latest sign of Musk’s involvement in the race.
The Musk-aligned America PAC has now reported more than $12 million spent on Wisconsin’s race backing Schimel, much of it on GOTV efforts.
Meanwhile, WisPolitics has tracked $8.3 million spent by Building America’s Future, another group linked to Musk, and America PAC has been offering $100 to registered Wisconsin voters who sign a petition opposing activist judges. Signers have to share contact information the group could use to turn out sympathetic voters.
America PAC announced earlier this week it had given $1 million to a Scott Ainsworth, of Green Bay, that the group says signed a petition opposing activist judges.
The petition offers registered voters $100 for signing the petition and providing their name and contact information. It also offers another $100 if signers refer others. Musk’s organization utilized a similar tactic in swing states last fall to target conservative voters and announced $1 million giveaways in the lead up to the election.
And Musk has donated $3 million to the state GOP, which has been transferring funds to Schimel’s campaign.
This story has been updated to include new information.
