A $90m litmus test - Wisconsin court vote becomes referendum on Musk

It's only been five months since voters in Wisconsin faced a bitterly fought election, but residents of the US state are already heading back to the polls.

This time, Elon Musk looms large in the race to fill a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, even if the billionaire's name doesn't appear on the ballot.

It's the most expensive judicial contest in US history, with more than $90m (£70m) spent so far, including $20m from Musk and groups d with him.

The choice is between conservative Brad Schimel, backed by President Donald Trump and Musk, and liberal Susan Crawford, who is ed by former President Barack Obama and Democratic mega-donors like George Soros.

It's forecast to be a tight contest that could flip control of the Midwestern state's top court, which is currently controlled 4-3 by liberal justices.

But it's also one of the first real tests of voter sentiment towards Trump, in a state that he won by less than a percentage point during his decisive White House election victory last November.

The Republican president's second istration has slashed federal programmes - cuts that have been shepherded by Musk, the world's richest man and a close Trump ally.

"This really matters," said canvasser Ronneisha Mallet. "People aren't looking at the bigger picture. People just think this is just a local election. But it goes all the way to the White House."

The 23-year-old was out knocking doors in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of Milwaukee on Monday, a day before voters were set to cast their ballots.

She was here with Bloc - Black Leaders Organising for Communities -  encouraging people to vote.

These kinds of special elections typically see low voter turnout. But Musk's involvement has supercharged emotions on all sides.

Groups like Bloc put in extra time to engage with voters.

Not everyone opened their front door on Monday, but some of those who did told Ms Mallet they had already voted. By Monday, some 644,000 people had cast ballots early, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

"I hate Musk! I hate his guts!" Peggy, standing at her door, said. She didn't want to give the BBC her full name, but described herself as an independent voter who has soured on the Republican Party.

"I think Musk bought the presidency," she said, in reference to the quarter-of-a-billion dollars that Musk spent in of Trump's presidential campaign.

"And so I think he's trying to buy the election here," Peggy continued. "And I am hoping that people are starting to wake up."

Democrats, too, have rallied deep-pocketed donors in of Crawford. Along with Soros, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman have reportedly contributed large sums. But their names haven't inspired the same vitriol as Musk's.

Another resident - who gave his name as Palman - said he had already voted, in part as a reaction to Musk.

"When you're a billionaire, you don't spend money for no reason," he said. "He's just spending it with purpose."

On Sunday, Musk hosted a rally where he handed out two $1m cheques to voters who had signed a petition to stop "activist" judges who might disrupt Trump's plans.

We drove about a half-hour outside of Milwaukee to Waukesha - a swing county that President Trump won. Around 100 people were gathered at the Dockhaus brewery and restaurant overlooking a baseball park, where Schimel made a campaign stop.

Conor Gunar was wearing a red shirt with Musk's name on it.

"I'm a big fan," he said, clutching his beer. "He is doing a fantastic job with Doge."

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