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A special election for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court is not the sort of thing that usually attracts national media attention.
But when you’re the richest man in the world and the owner of a massive social media platform, you possess the ability to singlehandedly decide which matters should be of national interest.
So when Elon Musk declared that the “future of Western Civilization” depended on the outcome of this race, tens of millions of Americans paid attention.
Musk gets rebuffed in high-stakes Wisconsin race
In addition to drumming up hype, Musk spent a large sum of money — upwards of $20 million by some estimates — in an effort to help determine the outcome in the battle between Susan Crawford and Elon’s candidate of choice, Eric Schimel
He even offered incentives to voters — including tickets to a rally he was hosting, where two attendees would win $1 million cash prizes — in hopes of ensuring a greater turnout from the kind of voters who would be interested in attending an Elon Musk rally (and, by extension, more likely to vote for Schimel).
Needless to say, such niche elections generally don’t receive that sort of attention from the richest man on the planet. And Musk clearly believed that his involvement would be enough to tip the scales in Schimel’s favor.
But in the end, Crawford won in a landslide, leading to widespread questions as to whether Musk is more of an asset or a liability to the GOP.
Musk’s future at DOGE in doubt
Many view these early special elections as litmus tests for the public’s response to President Trump’s first months back in office and the controversial actions of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Now, multiple outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Politico are reporting that Elon’s days at DOGE may be numbered.
“Trump remains pleased w/ Musk & DOGE, but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role,” Politico columnist Rachel Bade wrote on X today.
“Musk’s looming exit comes as some Trump administration insider…
