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A special election for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court is not the sort of thing that usually attracts national media attention.
But when you’re the richest man in the world and the owner of a massive social media platform, you possess the ability to singlehandedly decide which matters should be of national interest.
So when Elon Musk declared that the “future of Western Civilization” depended on the outcome of this race, tens of millions of Americans paid attention.
Musk gets rebuffed in high-stakes Wisconsin race
In addition to drumming up hype, Musk spent a large sum of money — upwards of $20 million by some estimates — in an effort to help determine the outcome in the battle between Susan Crawford and Elon’s candidate of choice, Eric Schimel
He even offered incentives to voters — including tickets to a rally he was hosting, where two attendees would win $1 million cash prizes — in hopes of ensuring a greater turnout from the kind of voters who would be interested in attending an Elon Musk rally (and, by extension, more likely to vote for Schimel).
Needless to say, such niche elections generally don’t receive that sort of attention from the richest man on the planet. And Musk clearly believed that his involvement would be enough to tip the scales in Schimel’s favor.
But in the end, Crawford won in a landslide, leading to widespread questions as to whether Musk is more of an asset or a liability to the GOP.
Musk’s future at DOGE in doubt
Many view these early special elections as litmus tests for the public’s response to President Trump’s first months back in office and the controversial actions of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Now, multiple outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Politico are reporting that Elon’s days at DOGE may be numbered.
“Trump remains pleased w/ Musk & DOGE, but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role,” Politico columnist Rachel Bade wrote on X today.
“Musk’s looming exit comes as some Trump administration insiders & many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability & view the billionaire as a political liability, a dynamic that was thrown into stark relief Tuesday when a conservative judge Musk vocally supported lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points,” she continued.
With Tesla stock down almost $200 a share since December, and Musk’s behavior proving more divisive than expected among GOP voters, this would obviously be an optimal time for the Tesla CEO to return to the private sector.
But if his tweets in the wake of last night’s election are any indication, Musk is not ready to give up his quixotic fight against his perceived political does.
“The long con of the lest is the corruption of the judiciary,” reads one recent post.
Yes, Elon used to be a pretty apolitical figure, but we think it’s safe to say that those days are over for good.
