Judge Refuses to Stop Elon Musk’s Million-Dollar Election ‘Lottery’


The political action committee (PAC) set up by Elon Musk, the owner of X (previously known as Twitter), to back Donald Trump’s presidential bid will be allowed to keep distributing millions of dollars to voters in swing states, as indicated by a report from the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/musk-million-sweepstakes-lottery-pennsylvania-krasner-4f683c48eb7dcc57f183e54ef16e7320).

In reaction to a civil lawsuit brought by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta ruled on Monday that America PAC can carry on with its monetary giveaways. The judge pointed out that the last two winners hail from swing states beyond Pennsylvania. Krasner has condemned the PAC’s disbursements, terming them a “grift” and accusing the group of conducting “political marketing under the guise of a lottery.”

The sweepstakes was accessible to those who signed a petition — which required them to provide personal information — affirming their support for free speech and gun rights. More than a million individuals from seven crucial swing states have enrolled for the PAC’s cash prizes.

In court, America PAC’s director and treasurer, Chris Young, testified that the million-dollar winners were not chosen randomly but were pre-screened to confirm their values matched the PAC’s political aims. The first three winners, revealed on October 19, 20, and 21, all originated from Pennsylvania, where the voter registration cut-off was October 21. Each winner had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Krasner is still deliberating on whether to move forward with criminal charges against Musk and America PAC for possible unlawful election interference.

Musk, who also serves as the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and is one of the richest people globally, has [publicly affirmed his support for Trump](https://mashable.com/article/musk-weird-weekend), donating nearly $120 million to America PAC, as reported by [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/10/24/elon-musk-donates-another-436-million-to-pro-trump-america-pac/).