It wasn\u2019t a quiet farewell, but it was a clear retreat \u2013 Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is stepping back from the political stage after a resounding electoral defeat in Wisconsin \u2013 at least for now. His candidate lost the state\u2019s Supreme Court race by ten percentage points. Musk himself stood at the center of the campaign, traveled to Green Bay, wore a cheesehead hat, handed out million-dollar checks \u2013 and failed. What remains is the image of a billionaire who came to buy democracy \u2013 and left empty-handed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople vs. Musk\u201d \u2013 The voter has spoken<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats in Wisconsin have no doubt about who won this battle - \u201cThe people have won,\u201d said Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. \u201cThe biggest funder in Republican politics is taking his toys and going home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the spring campaign was unofficially run under the slogan \u201cPeople vs. Musk.\u201d The Democratic strategy - turn the tech billionaire, who wielded a chainsaw through the federal government in Trump\u2019s shadow, into the symbol of unrestrained abuse of power. It worked. Voters rejected not only Musk\u2019s candidate but also his way of trying to buy his way into democratic processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A campaign like a tech startup<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk turned the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin into a political startup \u2013 with a budget like an IPO. More than $22 million from his orbit flowed into the campaign of Republican Brad Schimel. Musk personally paid at least $3 million. He funded door-to-door canvassing with $6 million, offered a $20 bonus for selfies from volunteers supporting Schimel, and paid three individual voters $1 million each for signing a petition. It was a campaign so surreal, it was hard to distinguish from satire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On election day, Musk posted on social media - \u201cA seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization.\u201d In truth, this election decided something else - the limits of political buyability in a state that\u2019s been a swing state for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The retreat \u2013 calculated or forced?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just weeks after the defeat, Musk announced he would withdraw from political funding in the future. Criticism of him had become \u201ctoxic,\u201d and even conservative strategists like Brandon Scholz now say Musk appears \u201ctoxic\u201d in Wisconsin. He could return at any time, of course, but his profile has hurt him - \u201cHe became the campaign. He became the story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, Musk lost public favor - an AP-NORC poll found that only 33% of U.S. adults had a positive view of him, down from 41% in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A department of cuts that\u2019s failing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk wasn\u2019t just a donor \u2013 he was part of the government. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he led Trump\u2019s crusade to dismantle the federal bureaucracy. But his radical cuts, including efforts to shut down entire agencies, have so far been largely ineffective. Critics like liberal Congressman Mark Pocan say Musk has \u201cbecome a liability\u201d \u2013 even for Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2026 is coming \u2013 and with it, the next round<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coincidence or timing - just hours after Musk\u2019s announcement of political retreat, liberal appeals court judge Chris Taylor declared her candidacy for the next Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2026. She is challenging a conservative incumbent who openly supported Trump\u2019s failed coup attempt in 2020. Taylor announced that her campaign would be \u201cabout the people of this state, not about billionaires, not about the powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Musk myth is crumbling<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What happened in Wisconsin was more than an election loss. It was a shift in sentiment. A signal that political power cannot be bought \u2013 at least not in every state. Musk may invest again in the future, may develop new strategies, may act more discreetly. But in this moment, he was caught by democracy. Not by a law, not by a court \u2013 but by the voter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that, in times like these, is a damn good sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Photo Jeffrey Phelps)<\/p>\n
Es war kein leiser Abschied, aber ein deutlicher R\u00fcckzug: Elon Musk, der reichste Mann der Welt, zieht sich nach einer krachenden Wahlniederlage in Wisconsin aus der politischen B\u00fchne zur\u00fcck \u2013 vorerst. Sein Kandidat verlor die Wahl zum Obersten Gerichtshof des Bundesstaats mit zehn Prozentpunkten R\u00fcckstand. Musk selbst stand im Zentrum der Kampagne, reiste nach Green […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[47,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-business","category-trump-s-world"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kaizen-blog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Elon-Musk-Wisconsin-and-the-End-Political-Pose.webp?fit=1440%2C960&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Tamzee Zadah","author_link":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/en\/author\/team-kaizen\/"},"yoast_head":"\n