Wisconsin provides a critical test for Democrats' anti-Elon Musk playbook
Next week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race is emerging as the first big test of Democrats’ anti-Elon Musk strategy as the party searches for a winning message following its loss to President Donald Trump last November.
Next week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race is emerging as the first big test of Democrats’ anti-Elon Musk strategy as the party searches for a winning message following its loss to President Donald Trump last November.
Trump’s billionaire adviser has been a major player in the technically nonpartisan judicial race: Musk’s super PAC has emerged as the top spender in the contest and has offered $100 to Wisconsin voters to sign a petition to oppose “activist judges,” while he often posts about the election on his X feed.
Between that and his polarizing efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency to slash the size of the federal government — and polling that shows he’s less popular than Trump, who endorsed conservative candidate Brad Schimel last week — Democratic-aligned groups and liberal candidate Susan Crawford have made Musk a major focal point in the race’s final stretch.
It’s a playbook that Democrats could seek to replicate elsewhere if it’s successful in one of the country’s tightest battleground states.
“Democrats can’t win against Trump right now,” Brandon Scholz, a Wisconsin Republican strategist, said. “They can still beat the hell out of Musk.”
Rating: 5