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Elon Musk wants to start a third party but it will take more than just money<\/p>\n
Can billionaire Elon Musk build a third party that lasts? We look at the odds, the obstacles, and the history stacked against him.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk’s super PAC spent $47.4 million in the first half of 2024, primarily supporting Brad Schimel’s unsuccessful Wisconsin Supreme Court bid.Musk personally contributed over $18 million to the PAC, supplementing a $27 million in-kind payment from his company, United States of America Inc.The Wisconsin Supreme Court race, ultimately won by liberal Judge Susan Crawford, became the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.<\/p>\n
The super PAC run by billionaire Elon Musk spent $47.4 million in the first half of the year, when the group was actively engaged in helping former Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel run unsuccessfully for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
The new filing by America PAC includes, for the first time, confirmation of $1 million payments<\/a> that Musk gave to each of three individuals at a Green Bay rally “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.”<\/p>\n It also reports that America PAC spent $27 million on in-kind payments for “petition incentives” on June 30. The payment came from the United States of America Inc., a new business created by Musk last year.<\/p>\n It is not clear what those payments were for, but the super PAC offered Wisconsin voters $100 to register their opposition to “judicial activists”<\/a> via a website. Musk’s group also made numerous payments to consultants, media groups and canvassers in the first six months of the year.<\/p>\n Overall, the report indicates Musk gave a little more than $18 million to America PAC in the first half of the year. That comes on top of the $27 million in-kind payment by the United States of America Inc.<\/p>\n A spokesman for America PAC could not be immediately reached for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n On April 1, liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated Schimel, a conservative, in an election that determined the ideological control of the Supreme Court. Liberals now hold a 4-3 edge with Crawford’s investiture on Aug. 1.<\/p>\n The race set a record for the most spent on a judicial race in the United States. Even before America PAC’s latest report, all sides had reported paying out more than $100 million on the hotly contested race, with independent groups far outspending the two candidates.<\/p>\n A spokesman for Crawford’s campaign declined to comment.<\/p>\n Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.<\/p>\n Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or\u00a0dbice@jrn.com<\/a>. Follow him on X at\u00a0@DanielBice<\/a>\u00a0or on Facebook at\u00a0fb.me\/daniel.bice<\/a>.<\/p>\n (This story was updated to add a photo or video.)<\/p>\n