In one district that includes Daytona Beach, Republican state senator Randy Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil, a public school educator. Fine was up around 14 points after Michael Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, won the seat by 33 points in November.
In the other race around Pensacola, Republican state CFO Jimmy Patronis defeated Democrat Gay Valimont, a gun violence prevention activist. Patronis was up nearly 15 points after Valimont had lost the seat to Matt Gaetz, once Trump's nominee for attorney-general, by 32 points in November.
Wisconsin's top court is likely to issue critical rulings on voting rights and election rules ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race, when the state is expected to remain a central battleground. Trump won Wisconsin in November by less than a percentage point, the closest margin of any state.
The court is also poised to decide whether abortion rights should remain legal statewide and could revisit a Republican-backed law that stripped most public employee unions of collective bargaining rights.
Musk, whose department of government efficiency is overseeing Trump's unprecedented cost-cutting campaign at the federal government, became a central figure in the race. He held a rally on Sunday night where his main super political action committee handed $1m (R18.4m) cheques to two voters.
Wisconsin's Democratic attorney-general, Josh Kaul, sued to block the payments, arguing they violated a state anti-bribery law. The state Supreme Court declined to take up the case without comment shortly before Sunday's event.
Musk, who spent more than $250m (R4.6bn) to help Trump win the election in November, also promised to pay volunteers $20 (R370) for every voter they recruited before the election. On Tuesday he offered $100 (R1,847) to voters to upload a photo of anyone holding a picture of Schimel while gesturing thumbs up.
The Tesla CEO had said “the future of Western civilisation” is at stake because the court may potentially rule on redistricting or redrawing political maps. Redistricting could tip the balance between Republicans and Democrats in a closely divided US House of Representatives, affecting Trump's ability to govern.
Democrats had sought to highlight Musk's involvement, with Crawford's supporters emphasising Musk may have a personal stake in the outcome. Tesla sued the state in January over a law barring car manufacturers from opening dealerships, a case that could eventually come before the state Supreme Court.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment about accusations he has a personal interest in the election's outcome.
Crawford's campaign had received a boost from billionaire Democratic megadonors, including philanthropist George Soros and Illinois governor JB Pritzker.
**Reuters**