Wisconsin watchdog sues Musk, alleging million-dollar bribes
A Wisconsin watchdog group, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, claiming that he engaged in election bribery during the state’s 2025 Supreme Court elections by promoting a pair of “million-dollar” giveaways. the lawsuit alleges that Musk conspired to incentivize votes for the conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who ultimately lost the election.it accuses Musk and his political action committees (PACs) of violating state law by distributing monetary rewards to voters who signed a petition against “activist judges.” The lawsuit seeks to prevent Musk from conducting similar actions in future Wisconsin elections. It also emphasizes that such practices undermine voter confidence in the election system. Musk, during a town hall event, distributed million-dollar checks under the pretense of rewarding voters for participation, but this has led to legal scrutiny and accusations that he mischaracterized these payments. Despite pushing for an immediate injunction against Musk,the Wisconsin Attorney General’s efforts where rebuffed by a county judge and the Wisconsin Supreme court. Musk had previously claimed the giveaways were appreciation rewards rather than bribes.
Wisconsin watchdog group sues Musk, alleging his million-dollar giveaways were bribes
A Wisconsin group filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, claiming he bribed voters by promoting two “million-dollar” giveaways during the state’s 2025 Supreme Court election.
The lawsuit, from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonprofit organization that investigates campaign funding and election transparency, alleges that Musk and his PACs acted together to commit election bribery by creating the petition and trading cash for a pledge to vote for Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate who ultimately lost the race.
The complaint also alleges that Musk violated state laws by giving away $100 to voters who signed a petition “in opposition to activist judges” and handing out million-dollar checks to those who signed the petition.
“In the context of an election for Wisconsin’s highest court, election bribery—providing more than $1 to induce electors (that is, voters) to vote— undermines voters’ faith in the validity of the electoral system and the independence of the judiciary,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit was filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and two Wisconsin voters against Musk, his America PAC, and another Musk-owned entity, the United States of America Inc. The lawsuit claims the event was a civil conspiracy and an unlawful lottery.
The lawsuit seeks to bar Musk from “replicating any such unlawful conduct in relation to future Wisconsin elections.”
At a town hall in Green Bay, Musk, donning a cheesehead, gave away million-dollar checks to two people, both of whom the suit claims voted for Schimel. The suit states that Musk had said the $1 million checks would be given “in appreciation” for those “taking the time to vote.”
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul sought an emergency injunction to stop Musk’s payments from going out. He argued that the handouts violated Wisconsin law because only supporters of one candidate are eligible for the prize. A county judge ultimately declined to hold an immediate hearing in Kaul’s suit, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously rejected it.
When Kaul’s lawsuit was filed, Musk and his team had portrayed the payments as a reward for signing petitions and serving as spokespeople for Schimel’s campaign. He did not portray it as compensation for votes. Musk was also at the time an adviser to President Donald Trump.
EVERY WISCONSIN COUNTY SHIFTED LEFT IN STATE SUPREME COURT RACE
Musk had initially said that the giveaway event and prize money would be open only to those who had voted early, “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.” Musk deleted an initial post about the giveaway, later claiming it would be open to all Wisconsin-registered voters who signed a petition opposing “activist judges.”
Musk’s America PAC spent over $12 million on Schimel’s campaign, but he ultimately lost by 11 points to now justice-elect Susan Crawford.
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