Who Cut the Cheese?
In a closely watched and heavily funded Supreme Court election in Wisconsin, Democrats turned back Elon Musk’s millions for a rare, but potentially foretelling win. Musk wanted to be the big cheese in Wisconsin as he handed out million dollar checks and delivered a speech while wearing a cheesehead hat, essentially making the election a referendum on himself—an election which he claimed could “determine the fate of Western civilization” and “the entire destiny of humanity.” Those are some high cheese stakes. Humanity, as it turned out, won. It’s not that the Musk money didn’t have an impact. The cheddar spread by the cheese wiz went a long way and GOP turnout was solid. It’s just that the fervor he helped create against himself (and Trump) was even more powerful, as Dem turnout was high enough to put Elon’s ketamine-spirited brand through a cheese grater. AP: Democrats’ win in Wisconsin court race also is a big loss for Elon Musk. “Judge Susan Crawford preserved liberals’ narrow majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday by defeating conservative Brad Schimel, but in a way the real loser of the election was billionaire Elon Musk … Musk’s court race defeat wasn’t only because of crushing Democratic margins in deep blue cities such as Madison and Milwaukee. Crawford’s margins were higher in places where the Musk-backed group America PAC had been active. That included Sauk County, just north of Madison, which Crawford was carrying by 10 points after Trump won it by less than 2 points in November. On Sunday, Musk headlined a campaign rally in Green Bay with 2,000 people. Trump won Brown County, which includes the city, by 7 percentage points last year. But on Tuesday, it went for Crawford.” (This a relatively small victory amid a lot of destruction. But it’s definitely a sign that Musk is better off putting his money where his mouth isn’t.)
+ Wisconsin and Florida elections provide early warning signs to Trump and Republicans.
+ “Here’s the problem with calling an election a referendum on your agenda: You could lose. Democrats will now control the state’s high court for years, and have fresh evidence that campaigning against Musk and DOGE works, after 71 days of ineffectively whacking at them in DC.” Semafor: Democrats’ anti-Musk campaign pays off in Wisconsin.
+ How is the Musk brand impacting his car business? Tesla reports 13% drop in first-quarter vehicle deliveries from a year ago. That said, the stock is soaring today. Why? There could be a clue in the next story…
+ Politico: Trump Tells Inner Circle That Musk Will Leave Soon.
