Ben Wikler on Elon Musk's Influence in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Allegations of Partisan Judicial Candidacy

• 🎯 Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, criticizes Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, stating he is running as a "MAGA partisan hack" rather than an independent judge.
• 💡 Wikler points to Schimel campaigning with 20-foot inflatable statues of Donald Trump and stating Trump needs a support network, which Wikler argues is inappropriate for a judicial candidate.

Elon Musk's Financial Influence

• 💰 Elon Musk has reportedly poured over $18 million into the race to support Brad Schimel, a sum described as unprecedented for a judicial election in American history.
• 🚀 This financial backing is seen as an attempt by Musk to "buy this seat" on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Campaign Finance and Judicial Independence

• ⚖️ Wikler advocates for campaign finance reform, particularly for judicial candidates, to remove big money from politics.
• 🤝 He criticizes the idea of voters or Democrats allowing Republicans and Elon Musk to "buy Wisconsin state supreme court."
• 🗣️ A recording is mentioned where Schimel allegedly said he had to buy knee pads to beg big donors for support, which Wikler deems inappropriate.

Broader Implications of the Race

• 📈 Musk's interest in the race is linked to its potential impact on the House Majority and the freezing of Wisconsin's gerrymandered house maps.
• 🗳️ Wikler suggests Musk believes a Schimel victory would guarantee a vote to keep gerrymandering in place.
• ⚠️ The race is also framed as a fight against the right's attempts to sabotage election results, referencing a close call in 2020 where the Wisconsin Supreme Court was one vote away from overturning election results.
• ✅ The core issue is whether the Supreme Court will believe people decide elections by casting ballots, not by judges overturning voter choices.