Musk’s $20m Wisconsin loss: ‘An early referendum on how Trump is doing’
The Republican Party has lost a key vote in the swing-state of Wisconsin, giving liberals a majority in the state senate. Is this the beginning of a comeback for the floundering Democratic Party, and has a message been sent to the Trump administration?
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In brief…
- The most expensive campaign in US history has been won by Wisconsin Democrat judge Susan Crawford, leaving Elon Musk $20 million out of pocket after giving away huge sums of money to local people who pledged their support to try to swing a Republican win.
- The News Agents say the win for the Democrats shows a “faint pulse” in the party, which has failed to make any impact since its election loss in 2024 and Trump’s January inauguration.
- Crawford’s win may have also sent a message to The White House that allowing Musk to throw money at voters is not the surefire success strategy it may have previously appeared.
What’s the story?
Elon Musk has lost $20 million (£15.46 million) losing an election in Wisconsin, after deploying a number of controversial tactics to try to ensure a Republican win.
In what has been hailed as the most expensive US campaign ever, Democrat Susan Crawford beat Brad Schimel to serve on the seven-judge state supreme court, with a total spend of more than $100m on campaigning by candidates and their supporters.
Musk's donations to Schimel's campaign include giving away millions of dollars to individuals who pledged to support the Trump administration.
He gave a speech in the state on Sunday, 30 March where he gave away two million dollar cheques to residents in the audience, while attempting to drum up last-minute support for the Republican candidate.
The tech boss engaged in similar stunts in swing-states during the 2024 campaign.
The Wisconsin result marks a big loss for both Musk, and the Trump administration's faith in the X owner's popularity with Americans.
“The vote was viewed in Washington, to some extent, as an early referendum on how Trump was doing,” says Emily Maitlis.
The result shows a slight shift in voter support, with swing-state Wisconsin voting for Trump with a margin of less than 1% in the 2024 election. Crawford is expected to finish with around 55% of votes.
It wasn’t all celebrations for the Democrats, however, who failed to gain two seats in Florida on the same night, which were vacated by Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz.
Why the Wisconsin result is such a big deal
Jon Sopel describes the money spent in the state as “obscene”, but says the Democrats’ win is significant for the party, which has been considered aimless since its loss in the 2024 election.
“The one thing it says to the Democrats is they are not dead and buried, and that they will give them some hope,” he says.
“There is a sign of life, there is a pulse – however faint – that has been detected, and that maybe this can be something that they can build back from.”
Speaking after Crawford’s win, Kamala Harris stated that Elon Musk “should not and will not have a greater voice than the working people of Wisconsin.”
Jon adds that with a liberal majority leading Wisconsin’s court after Crawford’s victory, this will also lead to more liberal practices when it comes to future elections in the swing state.
“The court there is important, because if you've got a liberal majority on the court, then you're probably going to have a set of voter laws which are more permissive and allow people to vote by mail, or early,” he says.
“It can then have ramifications going forward into midterm elections and the presidential election in four year’s time.”
What’s The News Agents’ take?
This was a major blow for Musk and Trump – considering the enormous amounts of money spent on electing Schimel, a committed MAGA advocate.
“Everything about Schmel's campaign referred back to either Trump or Musk or both,” says Emily.
“He lost – not just by a wafer thin, tiny little swing state majority – but by a whopping great amount, I think it will make Wisconsin voters feel that they have sent a message to the administration.”
There is one more thing to discuss, however. That is Elon Musk’s Green Bay Packers hat, shaped like a cheese, which he wore during his Sunday night appearance in Wisconsin.
“I actually couldn't bring myself to describe what a knob he looked like on that stage,” says Emily.
Jon says Musk was acting like he was the “greatest rock star ever” – just because he had a plastic cheese on his head.
“He’s saying: ‘Who wants my hat? Who wants a signed copy of my hat?’,” Jon says.
“Well, they might want his hat, but they – frankly – didn't take his money.”