Billionaire Elon Musk made a significant financial investment of at least $20 million in a closely watched Wisconsin court race, despite acknowledging that he had anticipated losing.
The election in the key Great Lakes swing state was technically nonpartisan, with conservative Brad Schimel facing off against liberal Susan Crawford for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The bench was evenly split between three liberal and three conservative justices.
Shortly after the polls closed, Crawford was declared the winner, much to the delight of Democrats. Despite Musk’s vocal support for Schimel, including a rally in Green Bay where he sported a cheese wedge hat and distributed oversized checks to voters, the outcome did not sway in his favor.
Musk had joined forces with President Donald Trump in endorsing Schimel, but ultimately, Crawford secured a ten-point victory. In a post on social media following the election results, Musk acknowledged his expectation of losing but alluded to a strategic advantage gained through the process.
The race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat set a new record for being the most expensive judicial race in the country, with Musk standing out as the most significant contributor among the donors on both sides of the political spectrum.
