Elon Musk in Green Bay ahead of election, hands out $1 million payments

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Elon Musk hosted a town hall event in Green Bay on Sunday night, March 30.

What we know:

It was held at the KI Convention Center.

The event comes after Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the state Supreme Court to stop Musk from handing over $1 million checks to two voters. Kaul argued the offer violates state law prohibiting giving anything of value in exchange for a vote.

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A unanimous state Supreme Court on Sunday refused to hear the last-minute attempt, a ruling that came just minutes before the planned start of the rally.

Two lower courts had already rejected the legal challenge by Kaul, who argues that Musk's offer violates a state law. "Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value to induce anyone to vote," Kaul argued in his filing. "Yet, Elon Musk did just that."

But the state Supreme Court, which is currently controlled 4-3 by liberal justices, declined to take the case as an original action. The court gave no rationale for its decision.

Musk, who founded the America PAC super PAC (political action committee), is offering Wisconsin registered voters $100 for signing a petition against "activist judges." That petition does not mention candidates or voting. 

On Sunday night, Musk, who backs Schimel, paid two of the Wisconsinites in Green Bay $1 million for signing the petition.

The payments are "intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate," Musk’s attorneys argued in court filings.

"It’s a super big deal," he told a roughly 2,000-person crowd in Green Bay on Sunday night, taking the stage in a yellow cheesehead hat. "I’m not phoning it in. I’m here in person."

Dig deeper:

Wisconsin’s tightly contested Supreme Court election, where ideological control of the court is at stake, is on Tuesday. Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority. But five of the court's seven justices have endorsed a candidate in the race, raising potential conflicts for them hearing the Musk lawsuit.

Republicans back Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and Democrats support Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.

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The contest has shattered national spending records for a judicial election, with more than $81 million in spending.

Political experts say because Wisconsin is the first to have a statewide vote since the presidential election, all eyes are on the Dairyland State.

What they're saying:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor emeritus Mordecai Lee says Tuesday's results will be telling when it comes to how voters respond to strategies like this.

"Musk has sort of inserted himself into Wisconsin politics in a way that’s impossible to ignore," Lee said. "I’m guessing this will probably end up being legal, but it is so close to the line. This is so close to an inducement.

"The political consultants for Democrats and Republicans are going to say ‘ah ha, here is the kind of pitch that works’ or ‘let’s never do that again because it doesn’t work.’ So in that respect, we are sort of the laboratory that’s going to be happening in American politics until the midterm elections."

The other side:

Crawford campaign spokesman Derrick Honeyman shared the following statement:

"There’s a reason why Elon Musk cares about this race and why he’s in Wisconsin today: He knows Brad Schimel is for sale and is incapable of being the fair and impartial justice our state deserves. Brad Schimel has always looked out for his campaign donors, even giving a sweet plea deal to a child predator after the man’s lawyer gave him thousands in campaign cash. If elected, Schimel would guarantee Musk’s companies have favorable rulings and he’ll rubber stamp an extreme agenda that includes banning abortion, restricting voting rights, and stripping health care coverage. On Tuesday, Wisconsin will choose common sense, fairness, and integrity by electing Judge Susan Crawford."

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