President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s preferred candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race lost, but both men say they scored a big victory anyway.
The Republican campaign in Wisconsin did result in changes to the state’s voter ID laws. On Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin approved an amendment to the state’s constitution requiring voters to use photo identification.
“Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT. This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
“This was the most important thing,” Musk wrote on X on Wednesday morning, referencing the changes to Wisconsin’s constitution.
Trump and Musk had endorsed conservative Judge Brad Schimel, who lost to liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.
“I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,” Musk said in a subsequent post on X early on Wednesday.
As of press time, Trump has not commented publicly on the outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court has a 4-3 liberal majority. A Schimel win would have resulted in an ideological realignment of the court’s bench.
“For State Supreme Court, make sure to Vote for America First Patriot, Brad Schimel, against Susan Crawford, a Radical Left Liberal, with a History of letting child molesters and rapists off easy,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
Aside from endorsing Schimel, Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, spent over $12 million supporting him. Musk also offered $100 to Wisconsin voters who signed a petition opposing “activist judges.”
On Sunday, Musk held a town hall in Wisconsin where he handed $1 million checks to two supporters. Musk initially said the $1 million was a lottery prize for signing his petition. He later said the payment was compensation for the winners to be spokespeople at the event.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court election is the most expensive judicial race in US history.
In the run-up to the vote, Trump and Musk both said enshrining voter ID requirements in Wisconsin’s constitution is just as important as securing a conservative majority on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court.
“There is a very important Referendum (Question 1) on the Ballot to amend the State Constitution to require VOTER ID,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, where he asked voters to support the amendment and Schimel.
At Musk’s town hall on Sunday, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said his personal stake in the vote boiled down to two issues — the judicial majority on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court bench and whether the state will require voter ID at polls.
Musk said these decisions could “affect the entire destiny of humanity” since they could influence which party controls Congress.
“Whichever party controls the House, you know, to a significant degree, controls the country, which then steers the course of Western civilization,” Musk said on Sunday.
Musk has been a big part of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency — but he’s also been campaigning hard for the GOP. During Trump’s run, Musk gave rally speeches at GOP events, and spent at least $277 million to support Trump and other GOP candidates.
The White House and Musk did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
