A political action committee associated with Elon Musk is offering Wisconsin voters $100 if they sign a petition “in opposition to activist judges” and another $100 if they refer another person who signs the petition. The petition requires people to provide a name, address, email and phone number — information that will help the group make further contact with voters.
The group, America PAC, has reported spending more than $7 million in support of Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel’s campaign for state Supreme Court. Musk himself has contributed more than $13 million to pro-Schimel efforts.
During the campaign, Schimel’s opponent, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, has accused Musk of trying to buy a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Musk’s company, Tesla, recently filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to change Wisconsin’s law about who can operate car dealerships within the state.
Schimel himself has portrayed himself as a “support network” for President Donald Trump if elected to the Court.
Derrick Honeyman, a spokesperson for the Crawford campaign, accused Musk of “buying votes.”
“Elon Musk is trying to buy a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to secure a favorable ruling in his company’s lawsuit against the state,” Honeyman said. “Now Musk has resorted to buying votes. Brad Schimel has spent his career looking out for wealthy special interests and campaign donors, and Musk wants a justice who will rule in his favor to help his own bottom line. Wisconsinites can see right through this extreme corruption and they don’t want a slimy billionaire like Elon Musk or a corrupt politician like Brad Schimel controlling the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”
The payouts from America PAC mirror an effort the group undertook during last year’s presidential election when it circulated a petition expressing support for free speech and gun rights and gave daily awards of $1 million to voters in swing states that had signed similar petitions.