For Wisconsin Republicans, regaining a conservative majority on the state’s Supreme Court was a top priority.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, whose America PAC poured in more than $12 million to sway the pivotal judicial race in one of the country’s premier swing states.
It wasn’t enough.
On Tuesday, Musk’s big bet on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race fell apart, as liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in the most expensive judicial race in US history.
Musk, the face of President Donald Trump’s White House DOGE office, has been met with increasingly vocal opposition by voters over the task force’s cost-cutting efforts. And the fallout from DOGE is also impacting Tesla, the company that catapulted Musk to international prominence.
Crawford’s victory is a significant blow for Musk as DOGE’s work continues to face increased scrutiny from the public and could lead to electoral gains for Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.
Here’s how Crawford’s win is set to upend Musk’s political playbook:
Musk is caught in the DOGE-house
For weeks, scenes of frustrated voters sharply questioning and booing GOP members of Congress have become a defining narrative of DOGE, as many lawmakers have had to defend waves of staffing cuts.
As a guiding force behind efforts to cut costs at critical federal departments — along with efforts to eliminate the US Agency for International Development, or USAID — Musk has faced mounting pushback over the task force’s aggressive tactics to reign in spending.
Musk went all in for Schimel, arguing that the Wisconsin race was “important for the future of civilization.”
“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,” Musk said, referencing the potential for Democrats to make gains through a new congressional map.
“Then they will try to stop all the government reforms we are getting done for you, the American people,” he added.
In a state that narrowly backed Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris last November, voters this week made a new choice.
Crawford’s win keeps the liberal bloc in the majority. The court could potentially revisit the state’s congressional maps, with a redraw likely to offer Democrats an opportunity to pick up additional seats.
With Republicans currently clinging to a razor-thin 218-213 majority in the US House ahead of what could be a tough midterm cycle, holding the lower chamber will be key for Musk and Trump — especially as it relates to future oversight over DOGE’s work.
Musk may approach other races differently
Musk campaigned heavily for Trump in swing-state Pennsylvania last November, with America PAC pouring millions of dollars into the state, much of it for canvassing and other digital-related efforts.
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The tech mogul’s decision to hand out $1 million checks to select voters who signed petitions at town hall events — similar to what he employed in Wisconsin this time around — drew many people out as he criticized Harris and the media. Trump would go on to win Pennsylvania in the 2024 general election.
Schimel’s loss, on the other hand, is a setback for Musk.
Wisconsin Supreme Court races in recent years have become increasingly polarized, with issues like abortion rights, union collective bargaining rights, and voting regulations being used to drive up turnout among base voters. This week, conservatives fell short in their efforts to take the court in a different direction.
Musk is poised to wade into other contests ahead of the midterms, especially with Trump’s agenda on the line. However, the latest results in Wisconsin show that there’s a limit to such an influence.
