The first winners of an Elon-Musk-backed organization's $1M giveaway — aimed at getting voters to cast their ballots for former President Donald Trump — were already registered as Republicans — and had already voted prior to winning the money, according to a new report.
The tech billionaire's America PAC launched a controversial $1 million daily giveaway initiative leading up to the Nov. 5 election. Randomly selected registered voters who sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments can win the money. The giveaway runs from Oct. 17 through Election Day in the following battleground states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
So far, two Pennsylvania voters — identified by the PAC as John Dreher and Kristine Fishell — have won the sweepstakes. According to Politico, both are registered Republicans who had already voted early this year prior to winning.
The organization has faced challenges since kicking off its initiative.
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A political vendor that handles contract canvassing operations for the super PAC warned its employees not to speak to the press after reports that a significant share of the operation was inflated.
"A handful of disgruntled former contractors who were either fired or demoted are conspiring with reporters who want to elect Kamala Harris and undermine our program," said a text message meant to be passed along to contractors working with Blitz Canvassing, obtained by Hugo Lowell of The Guardian. "Please ask your canvassers to keep an eye out and let their managers know if they receive any calls we should know about."
Prior to that, The Washington Post reported that Musk’s "characteristically erratic leadership style, including towering demands and sudden firings," has adversely impacted the organization and threatened to limit its effectiveness.