Democrats Are Hoping Elon Musk Continues Campaigning For Their Opponents As He Galvanizes Detractors

A loss for a sit in Wisconsin's Supreme Court has left Republicans questioning billionaire Elon Musk's involvement in their party politics. At the same time, Democrats are seeing it as an opportunity to increase their popularity at the polls, making him an unusual plea to continue campaigning for their GOP counterparts next year.

Musk and his affiliated groups invested $21 million into flipping the Wisconsin Supreme Court to conservative control, only to see his candidate defeated by 10 percentage points on Tuesday. The losing margin was four points larger than that of the only other Republican on the same statewide ballot, who was not tied to Musk's money, The Associated Press reports.

The results left some Republicans questioning whether his presence in races was useful at a time when liberals are highly motivated to turn out against him, according to The Washington Post.

"The Republican base loves Elon Musk now, so [I thought] if he comes here and says 'Go out and vote for Brad Schimel,' that would help," said Rohn Bishop, Republican mayor of Waupun, Wisconsin. "But the opposite effect happened."

Democrats are seemingly energized by voters' seemingly disdain for the richest man in the world. For the party, the Republican-aligned candidate's wipeout in Tuesday's election is a clear sign that Musk has become electoral poison for the GOP.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) was asked if he wants Musk to campaign for his congressional neighbor and bitter enemy Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) told Axios, "I'll pay for his coach flight." Similarly, battleground-district Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) said of Musk coming to her district: "Yes please! Can you arrange that? Who do I speak to about that?"

Another vulnerable House Democrat told Axios they would welcome Musk because he is "very unpopular" in their district and "the federal workers he fired would like a word with him."

Democrats are also signaling they're prepared to center at least part of their 2026 narrative around Musk, with or without him formally being part of Trump's administration.

"Don't be fooled by an attempt to distance themselves from Musk— they will still take his money and follow his lead," said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio).

Politico reported Wednesday that President Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back from his role in the administration in the coming weeks. The report said that the president remains pleased with Musk and DOGE but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role in the administration.

Trump told reporters Monday that Musk has "got a big company to run... At some point he's going to be going back. He wants to." Nevertheless, both the White House and Musk pushed back on Politico's story.