ROUND UP: WisDems Launch Fight Against Brad Schimel, Elon Musk
MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, Wisconsin Democrats launched The People v. Musk, a seven-figure organizing and communications campaign to stop Elon Musk from buying a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for extreme right-wing politician Brad Schimel. With Musk-backed groups already pouring in more than $5 million to bankroll Shady Brad Schimel, WisDems and allies are organizing to reject Elon Musk’s hostile takeover attempt.
Elon Musk has already hurt Wisconisnites with his attacks on Social Security, the Veterans Administration, medical research, Medicaid, and Head Start. WisDems’ People v. Musk grassroots effort will block the Musk-Schimel alliance from taking over the state’s highest court and will ensure that voters know the stakes of this election and elect Judge Susan Crawford on April 1.
See more coverage on WisDems’ People v. Musk campaign:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Democratic Party leaders announced Tuesday they are launching a seven-figure initiative to counter Elon Musk’s spending in support of conservative Waukesha County candidate Brad Schimel in the current Supreme Court election. Dubbed ‘The People v. Elon Musk,’ Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler said the party would air digital ads, conduct town halls across the state, do door-to-door canvassing and host media events in support of liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. She is running against Schimel in the April 1 for a seat on the Supreme Court. The winner will determine the ideological bent of the high court for at least the next year. ‘Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s bag man, is attacking the very foundations of this country, and Elon Musk has set his sights on Wisconsin to buy the state Supreme Court by buying Brad Schimel and bankrolling a massive campaign to give him a tie-breaking vote on the highest court in the state of Wisconsin,’ Wikler said on a Zoom call.”
Spectrum News: “A race for the state’s highest court that’s not only become political, but pricey too. ‘Who is Elon Musk? He seems to be an unelected right-hand man to President Trump right now. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which endorsed Crawford’s campaign and made a 3 million dollar contribution, launched a seven-figure grass roots effort Tuesday to counter Elon Musk’s support of Brad Schimel. The move comes, as the party says, Musk funded groups have poured more than $5 million into the race. ‘Musk and Tesla filed a lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin in an attempt to grab more control over the car market in our state. That case could very well come before the Wisconsin state Supreme Court, and Musk is counting on Brad Schimel to be the swing vote.’”
Badger Herald: “Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Ben Wikler shared their thoughts on Musk’s funding of the Schimel Supreme Court campaign on a press call. ‘I am just outraged that Elon Musk has found yet another area where he can make an investment and buy an election,’ Moore said. ‘And I’m even more infuriated that his misogyny … is threatening the state of Wisconsin.’ Democrats have come out expressly against Musk’s involvement in private political funding. Moore said that Musk was attempting to buy Schimel a seat on the court. ‘Brad Schimel is a perfect person to be bought and paid for by Elon Musk,’ Moore said. […] ‘Anyone across the country who’s concerned about Elon Musk extending his control to buying state judicial bodies can get involved in this campaign … Wisconsin is not for sale,’ Wikler said.”
Associated Press: “Democrats on Tuesday promised to ‘punch back’ against Elon Musk in the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, casting the election as a referendum on the billionaire adviser to President Donald Trump. The Wisconsin Democratic Party announced a new $1 million-plus effort to portray the April 1 election as the first chance for angry voters to make their feelings known about what the Trump administration has been doing. The effort comes as Musk — the world’s richest person — and other Republican allies have outpaced Democrats in spending with the election just a month away. Democrats can overcome the funding disadvantage by tapping into the ‘rage’ that voters feel as Musk ‘tears the country apart,’ Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler said Tuesday. ‘We’re going to punch back,’ he said.”
WPR: “The first ad from what the state Democratic Party is calling a ‘seven-figure’ campaign references the firing of air traffic controllers and federal funding cuts initiated by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The ad repeatedly shows video of Musk making a straight-armed gesture on the day of Trump’s inauguration. ‘Elon Musk is out of control, and now the power hungry billionaire is unloading millions to buy the Wisconsin Supreme Court,’ the ad claims. It also claims Schimel ‘is for sale and will abolish the checks and balances that protect us.’ It closes by urging residents to vote for Crawford.”
WISC Channel 3000: “Democrats are promising to ‘punch back’ against Elon Musk in the race for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Today, the Wisconsin Democratic Party announcing a 1 million dollar plus effort to portray the April 1st election as the first chance for angry voters to make their feelings known about what the Trump administration has been doing. This comes after America PAC, a group created by Musk, spent 2.3 million dollars on digital ads, mailers, and canvassing to support Brad Schimel in the Supreme Court race.”
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