The first test of DOGE politics
With special elections tonight, we’re going to get our first sense of whether voters are embracing MAGA 2.0 and Elon Musk’s DOGE push
Republicans in the MAGA 2.0 and DOGE Era are about to get their first real test at the polls — and Elon Musk knows it.
Musk came out on stage in Green Bay Wis., this weekend running a very similar playbook to the 2024 election: He looked goofy in a cheesehead hat and was met with raucous applause. He embraced his celebrity status, signing the headpiece and chucking it into the estimated crowd of 2,000 people.
The audience was filled with attendees who signed a petition pledging to reject “activist judges,” and those lured for a $1 million sweepstakes. Two such awards were given away on stage. It could have been October 2024, not March 2025.
Nicholas Jacobs and Ekaterina Diestler were called to stage and presented large checks made out to them for $1 million each. Musk said the payment was for them being “spokespeople” for his cause, if that’s the case it’s payment at a rate high above industry average, even if they were counting hours and tabulating their work weekly, something Musk has demanded from federal workers.
Is it fools gold?
The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to intervene in Attorney General’s attempt to stop the payments, though questions about the tactics still linger. And Musk's rally came as Republicans are privately quite nervous about elections that will offer the first electoral verdict on President Trump’s second term.
April Fool’s Elections
From Wisconsin to Florida, there are scheduled elections and special elections that are taking place today. Soon we’ll know the outcome of many of those battles.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court election was the one Elon Musk was focused on Sunday night, suggesting everyone at the event should spend the next 48 hours telling everyone they know that they should vote. He said of the election, civilization itself was on the line. And that those in Wisconsin still had a chance to save civilization, by registering to vote and voting the same day, something notably Republicans have largely been against.
There are signs the Republicans might have some internal worries.
Last week in a Pennsylvania district that voted for Trump by 15 points, a Democrat won a special election for a State Senate seat. Soon afterwards, President Trump pulled the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik to be his ambassador to the United Nations, expressing worries about a fragile GOP majority in the House. “I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,“ Trump said.
This week special elections for some seats, including that of former Congressman Mike Waltz, now the National Security Advisor who accidentally added a journalist to a signal chat, show signs of being closer than expected.
Democrats in some of these key special elections are using Elon Musk’s new found power to push voters to get to the polls and vote against the opposing candidate. One friend who volunteered on a Florida race told me Democrats and Independents have told volunteers they don’t want the businessman originally from South Africa making decisions on their Social Security.
The wealthiest man in the World does seem somewhat phased by the insults, noting how much this federal government role has cost him, including a significant hit on the Tesla stock value, down by half.
Regardless he stood on stage giving checks away.
And pledging those who took a picture at the event and posted on social media could get another $20 to bring attention to the race (a pledge he echoed afterwards on X).
Occasionally he was interrupted by protestors. Ironically given how much he’s poured into this race (he and two groups he supports have spent at least $21 million on the race), he would accuse the protestors of being paid by another wealthy donor. “Hi to George Soros,” he said at the notice of protests. (George Soros has donated $2 million to the Wisconsin state Democratic party).
There were many in the audience being paid that night. There’s no evidence that George Soros paid any protestors.
What’s up tonight?
While the attention has focused on the event, or Elon Musk’s sweepstakes, there are some key races for grabs tonight. And probably some flawed candidates from both parties on the ballots.
The race for Wisconsin Supreme Court pits two political insiders against each other.
Brad Schimel served as Attorney General during Governor Scott Walker’s tenure, and after both men’s loss, Walker appointed Schimel to the position he holds now on the Waukesha County Circuit Court. Susan Crawford worked for former Governor Jim Doyle as chief counsel, and represented clients such as Planned Parenthood and the Madison Teachers’ Union. Schimel, who once criticized Trump’s language, now has no issues with wrapping himself in the MAGA flag. He’s pledged to push back on what is now a 4-3 liberal-leaning court.
While Musk brought up the prospect of redistricting — right now Wisconsin’s legislature holds the authority to draw congressional maps, unlike those that take a less partisan approach like Iowa — access to abortion remains a hotly contested item in Wisconsin. Moreover there’s concern about how partisan the Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have gotten, especially given the significant influx of money. Something that’s unlikely to end quickly.
Down in Florida, there are odd candidates vying for seats.
Randy Fine, a Florida State Representative, who does not live in Mike Waltz’s former district he’s vying to represent, is the Republican candidate. He comes from the world of casinos and gambling, having held positions with companies such as Harrah’s Entertainment (now Ceasers Entertainment) and American Casino & Entertainment Properties. With a net worth of more than $30 million he did a Fox interview from his “Tesla studio” where he said he has driven a Tesla since 2016. He has pledged to support President Trump’s initiatives full stop, saying there’s nothing he really disagrees with.
Josh Weil, the Democrats’ candidate, is a public school teacher, and actually does live in the district. He has pledged to hold the current administration in check. But has a bit of a checkered history himself: As a teacher he was once suspended for an alleged misconduct involving a student, an incident he admits he didn’t handle right. The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative paper, also published an alleged complaint they say comes from a female colleague who alleged unwanted attention. Weil is divorced, a single dad, his campaign website says.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has warned he doesn’t think these election results, the special elections, will be the result of Trump sentiment, but rather specific local dynamics. But if a Democrat even gets close in a +30 Trump district, it surely will get attention.
Trust and celebrity
What was fascinating about the Elon Musk rally in Wisconsin, is after he talked about the importance of this election at the top and gave out money, he took questions from the audience. Many questions.
The topics ranged from artificial intelligence, to education, to the space race, to DOGE findings. Some of what he presented will be fact checked. But the format with the number of questions reminded me of our early Obama town halls. I do remember when this approach — of embracing celebrity in politics — was supposed to be an insult to Obama. Sen. John McCain lobbed that criticism at Sen. Obama 17 years ago during a Presidential contest, and lost. Now, as demonstrated by Musk, it’s a common tactic. And Sunday night at the rally Musk seemed to be enjoying it.
On the same day of the rally, President Donald Trump (currently 78 years old) was asked about running for a third term and he didn’t rule it out. Instead he said there were many ways it might be possible. But after the event with Elon Musk, I was wondering how long it would be before the South African born entrepreneur tests the Constitutional provision that a US President must be US born.
For now those in the audience were clearly smitten with Musk and his leadership. And we’ll see tonight whether Elon Musk gets his multimillion dollar wish of an election result.