Musk says ‘destiny of humanity’ rests on Wisconsin judicial race

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Elon Musk framed Tuesday’s election for Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court in nothing less than apocalyptic terms, telling a crowd Sunday night in Green Bay that the vote could ultimately swing control of Congress – meaning it could effectively “affect the entire destiny of humanity.”

Musk revels in provocative, inflammatory rhetoric. But his remarks – and the visit itself, 36 hours before polls open for Election Day – reflected his extraordinary push to bolster Judge Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate for the state Supreme Court. The election, he said, is not “some kind of judicial thing that is not that important.”

“What’s happening on Tuesday is a vote for which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. That is why it is so significant,” Musk said, referring to the key role that judges could play in congressional redistricting. “And whichever party controls the House to a significant degree controls the country, which then steers the course of Western civilization. I feel like this is one of those things that may not seem that it’s going to affect the entire destiny of humanity, but I think it will.”

Musk, a billionaire and a close adviser to President Donald Trump, dispensed two giant $1 million checks onstage to Wisconsin voters, following through with a well-worn gimmick despite an unsuccessful last-minute lawsuit from Democrats that tried to put a stop to it.

Musk and allied groups have spent over $20 million to help the conservative candidate, and he said Sunday that he considered Schimel an underdog. “We’ve got to pull a rabbit out of the hat – next level. We actually have to have a steady stream of rabbits out of the hat, like it’s an arc of rabbits flying through the air, and then landing in a voting booth.”

Musk took the stage wearing his own headgear – a cheesehead hat popular with Packers fans, before signing it and tossing it into the crowd.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.