Musk hands over million-dollar cheques to voters at rally

Elon Musk gave out million-dollar (£772,000) cheques to two Wisconsin voters on Sunday, declaring them spokespeople for his political group.

The move came ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election that the tech billionaire cast as critical to president Donald Trump’s agenda and “the future of civilisation” and follows a late legal challenge to stop him.

Taking the stage in Green Bay wearing a yellow foam cheesehead hat – synonymous with Wisconsin and the Green Bay Packers American football team – Mr Musk painted the judicial race he has pumped more than 20 million dollars (£15.4 million) into as pivotal for the country.

Noting the likelihood the state high court will take up redistricting that could give Democrats a chance at winning two additional US House seats.

“It’s a super big deal. I’m not phoning it in. I’m here in person.” Mr Musk told the rally in Green Bay: “The House majority is now razor thin.

“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.”

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court refused to hear a last-minute attempt by the state’s Democratic attorney general to stop the giveaway, the ruling coming minutes before the planned start of the rally .

Two lower courts had already rejected the legal challenge by Josh Kaul, who argues that Mr Musk’s offer violates a state law.

“Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value to induce anyone to vote,” he argued in his filing. “Yet, Elon Musk did just that.”

But the state Supreme Court, which is controlled 4-3 by liberal justices, declined to take the case as an original action. The court gave no rationale for its decision.

Mr Kaul had no immediate comment on the court’s order.

Mr Musk’s lawyers argued he was exercising his free speech rights with the giveaways and any attempt to restrict that would violate both the Wisconsin and US constitutions.

The payments are “intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate”, Mr Musk’s attorneys argued in court filings.

Wisconsin’s tightly contested Supreme Court election, where ideological control of the court is at stake, is on Tuesday.

The court’s four liberal justices have endorsed Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, the Democratic-backed candidate.

Mr Musk’s lawyers, about four hours before the rally was to begin, asked that two liberal justices who have campaigned for her — Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet — recuse themselves from the case.

Both justices rejected the request and said they would spell out their reasons why at a later date.

One of the court’s conservative justices has endorsed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, who also has the backing of Mr Trump and Mr Musk.

Mr Musk promised to hand over a pair of one million dollar (£772,000) cheques who signed an online petition against “activist” judges. Mr Musk and groups he supports have spent more than 20 million dollars (£15.4 million) to help Mr Schimel get elected.

Mr Schimel said in a national television interview that he does not control “any of the spending from any outside group, whether it’s Elon Musk or anyone else” and that all Mr Trump asked was whether he would “reject activist judges” and follow the law.

“That’s exactly what I’ve committed to anybody, whether it’s President Trump, Elon Musk or any donors and donors or supporters or voters in Wisconsin. That’s my commitment,” he told Fox News Sunday.

The contest has shattered national spending records for a judicial election, with more than 81 million dollars (£62.5 million) in spending.

Mr Musk’s political action committee used a nearly identical tactic before the presidential election last year, offering to pay one million dollars (£772,000) a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.

A judge in Pennsylvania said prosecutors failed to show the effort was an illegal lottery and allowed it to continue until Election Day.

Mr Musk on Friday initially said in a post on his social media platform X that he planned to “personally hand over” two million dollars (£1.5 million) to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the race.

He later posted a clarification, saying the money would 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 one million dollar (£772,000) 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 Mr Trump and his agenda.

The judicial election comes as Wisconsin’s highest court is expected to rule on abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union power and voting rules that could affect the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election in the state.