Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says

Source: CNN Politics/AP

Updated Jul 14, 2026, 4:21 PM ET
PUBLISHED Jul 14, 2026, 4:11 PM ET


Madison, Wisconsin (AP) - Billionaire Elon Musk likely broke Wisconsin law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election, a bipartisan panel has found.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission last week referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney’s office, which can choose to bring criminal charges over violating the state law against election bribery. Prosecutors have 40 days to report back to the commission.

Musk, the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, was deeply involved in the effort to flip majority control of the highest court in battleground Wisconsin.

The tech titan and groups he supported spent at least $20 million on the candidate backed by Republicans, Brad Schimel. However, he lost by 10 percentage points to Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford. A month after the lopsided loss, Musk announced that he would be spending far less on political campaigns. Spending on the election topped $100 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in US history.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/politics/elon-musk-wisconsin-supreme-court-1-million-checks