MADISON, Wis. (AP) 鈥� When Republicans are looking for a political bogeyman, they point to liberal megadonor . Democrats recently have been answering with a villain of their own: the world's wealthiest man and close adviser to President Donald Trump, .
Now, the billionaires' influence on politics is colliding in a spring election that will decide whether conservatives or liberals control the supreme court in an important presidential battleground state. Both Musk and Soros have spent large sums on the race for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, making them easy targets in a between the two candidates Wednesday.
While the race is officially nonpartisan, Democrats and Republicans have lined up behind each candidate. Former state Attorney General Brad Schimel, who is backed by Republicans, called Soros a 鈥渄angerous person to have an endorsement from.鈥� The philanthropist has spent $1 million to benefit his opponent, Democratic-supported Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford.
She fired back by saying Musk 鈥渉as basically taken over Brad Schimel鈥檚 campaign.鈥� The Tesla and SpaceX CEO who is running Trump's massive has funded two groups that have together spent more than $10 million to promote Schimel.
The exchange highlighted how the April 1 election, which will affect looming cases on abortion, voting rules, congressional district boundaries and more, has drawn national scrutiny in a year when there are just a handful of consequential elections. It also showed how the two polarizing billionaires are in the race, as each side seeks to weigh down the other with political baggage.
Those tactics make sense in an off-year, spring election when voters may not know the candidates or be paying much attention, said Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to tie it to national themes,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he overall strategy is, how can you scare your base into making sure they show up at the polls?鈥�
Soros has been reviled by conservatives for years for his donations to liberal prosecutors and other left-wing and anti-authoritarian causes. Musk, a newer power player in political giving, has angered liberals because of his role in Trump鈥檚 campaign last year 鈥� his super PAC to help get Trump elected 鈥� and his efforts to and through the new Department of Government Efficiency.
Soros has been a longtime target of conservatives
The 94-year-old Hungarian American and Jewish billionaire has been a conservative target for decades.
Core to their ire is the spending he and affiliated groups have done to elect liberal prosecutors 鈥� officials that Republicans argue are too soft on crime. GOP lawmakers have called attention to Soros鈥� donations in , saying the people he supports have put communities at risk.
Trump also has used Soros to tarnish the credibility of people and groups he doesn鈥檛 like. In a recent aiming to punish the law firm Perkins Coie, the firm 鈥渉as worked with activist donors including George Soros to judicially overturn popular, necessary, and democratically enacted election laws.鈥�
Attacks on Soros often , with some falsely casting him as or having .
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n 鈥� 鈥� has boosted that trope by promoting the belief that Soros is engaged in covert plots to destabilize Hungary. Pressure from the prompted a university Soros founded in 2018.
Ahead of the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Soros gave $1 million to the Wisconsin Democratic Party. He made a donation in the same amount ahead of this year鈥檚 race, prompting Schimel and his supporters to invoke Soros in campaign messaging and ads.
鈥淪usan Crawford takes her marching orders from George Soros, (Illinois Gov.) JB Pritzker, anti-ICE sheriffs, and Defund the Police radicals,鈥� Schimel's campaign wrote on X earlier this month. 鈥淲hich side are you on?鈥�
Musk鈥檚 new political relevance gives Democrats a rebuttal
Musk hurtled onto the political scene in the last couple of years, spending big money to secure Republican control of the federal government and in states where he has businesses.
Last year, he spent nearly $300 million on Republican campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The bulk of that was to boost Trump, but a super PAC he founded also spent millions on U.S. House races.
Musk also has dabbled in state politics in Texas, where he has moved several of his businesses. He became involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race shortly after Tesla in a dispute over a law barring automakers from operating or controlling vehicle dealerships. The case ultimately could end up before the state Supreme Court.
The curious timing, his unabashed support for Trump and his chaotic moves in the federal government, make Musk a dream target for the left, said Wisconsin Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, who is not involved in the race.
鈥淗aving a villain makes everything easier,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a cue to the partisans 鈥� it鈥檚 a clarion call. Crawford is with us, and Schimel is in the pocket of Elon Musk, the most unpopular person in America right now who can鈥檛 get off the front page.鈥�
Crawford has leaned into the attacks, referring to Musk as 鈥淓lon Schimel鈥� in the debate. She also reminded voters of Musk鈥檚 actions at DOGE, such as recommending the firing of government workers .
The race, which is seen as a litmus test of how a battleground state鈥檚 voters are responding to the first months of the Trump presidency, also might offer clues into how they view Musk鈥檚 role in the administration.
The strategy isn鈥檛 without risk
A challenge both candidates face is that as they attack each other for being supported by notorious high-dollar donors, they must rationalize having their own wealthy benefactors.
Crawford needs to associate Schimel with Trump as much as possible to win, said Brandon Scholz, a former Republican strategist in Wisconsin who now identifies as an independent. The Musk donations help with that 鈥� as do flyers distributed to voters by Musk鈥檚 America PAC that say Schimel will 鈥� .鈥�
There could soon be more opportunities to show those ties: A Monday town hall billed as a get-out-the-vote effort for Schimel will be co-hosted by one of Trump鈥檚 sons, Donald Trump Jr., and political activist Charlie Kirk.
Schimel, meanwhile, needs diehard Trump voters to come out to the polls, said Scholz. It's a 鈥渄ouble-edged sword," he said, because it means the candidate will have to gamble with turning off some voters.
Soros also has less name recognition than Musk right now, Scholz said. That could be one reason why Schimel has relied more in recent weeks on traditional conservative messaging, such as accusing his opponent of letting criminals off with lenient sentences.
During the debate, he said he has no control over outside donations or the messages they spread. He also said he wouldn鈥檛 give Trump or Musk special treatment if he鈥檚 elected to the court. Instead, Schimel said, he treats the courtroom like a baseball umpire would 鈥� 鈥渘ot rooting for any team.鈥�
Crawford also distanced herself from Soros鈥� donation by noting it was made to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which has endorsed her. She said while Schimel has revealed how he鈥檒l vote on some pending cases, she has 鈥渘ever promised anything, and that is the difference.鈥�
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Swenson reported from New York.
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Ali Swenson And Scott Bauer, The Associated Press
