Liberal won Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Musk's money can't buy every election. | Opinion
Alas, the sad little rich boy saw his candidate – conservative Judge Brad Schimel – swiftly dispatched Tuesday night by liberal Judge Susan Crawford. And it wasn't close.
Wisconsin voters came together Tuesday and told Elon Musk what millions of Americans would love to tell him: Beat it, punk.
President Donald Trump’s right-hand billionaire poured more than $20 million into the state’s Supreme Court election, propping up a conservative judge and blabbering about how the fate of Western civilization rested on this Midwestern judicial race. Musk held a rally in the state, pranced around the stage awkwardly wearing a cheese-wedge hat, and handed out $1 million checks to a couple voters.
Alas, the sad little rich boy saw his candidate – conservative Judge Brad Schimel – swiftly dispatched Tuesday night by liberal Judge Susan Crawford. And it wasn’t close. In fact, one might argue that the election results were downright embarrassing for Musk and Trump.
The Wisconsin high court will maintain its liberal majority, and Musk’s apparent belief he can buy anything he wants was met with a well-deserved “Hell no.” Turns out a Tesla Cybertruck is no match for a wall of cheese.
Musk's money can't buy him love, or Wisconsin Supreme Court
This was an important moment for Americans who believe that Trump – the politician Musk successfully bought by pumping more than $250 million into his campaign – has given the Tesla CEO too much power.
For weeks now, the richest man in the world has been ruthlessly, smugly and sloppily disemboweling the federal government, firing people and demolishing government agencies at will.
When Musk slid into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election like a kingmaker with a money cannon, the race swiftly became a referendum on the Musk/Trump diarchy.
Whether it was Musk’s cockiness, his off-putting personality or the repellant nature of his actions thus far in Washington, D.C., Wisconsin voters soundly rejected the billionaire and his chosen candidate.
Liberal judge had to face down her opponent and the world's richest man
In a victory speech, Crawford said: “As a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin. And we won.”
You did, indeed, Judge.
She also said: “Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.” That’s the nicest way I’ve ever heard anyone say, “Pound sand, ya rich twerp.”
Good for her.
Wisconsin vote was a repudiation of Trump and Musk
The Trump administration has been bending reality to claim that all it has done in these early months – from gutting the government to hurling stock-market-tanking tariffs hither and yon – has been wildly popular. To claim Trump himself is wildly popular. To claim Musk is some kind of hero, sacrificing his time to make America better.
People paying attention know better, but the result of this Wisconsin judicial election puts the facts front and center for all to see. Trump won the Dairy State in the presidential election. If voters were thrilled with the job he’s doing or pleased with the job co-president Musk is doing, it’s likely the conservative judge would have steamrolled the liberal judge, particularly with those millions of Musk dollars in his pocket.
But he lost, big time. That means Musk isn’t the kingmaker he thinks he is.
This means Trump has to consider whether Musk is an albatross. And Republicans in Congress have to consider whether absolute fealty to Kings Trump and Musk is in their best political interest.
A rare moment of hope since Trump's election
Since Trump won and granted Musk seemingly unlimited power, it has felt like the fix is in, like we’re fighting against unbeatable odds.
Crawford’s victory Tuesday night in Wisconsin showed us something else. It reminded us that the bad guys can still lose.
Follow Paste BN columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk