The initial winners of Elon Musks $1million daily giveaway to registered swing state voters have been revealed as Republicans from Pennsylvania.
The first two winners, John Dreher and Kristine Fishell, are registered Republicans in the state and have both already voted by mail, Politico reported.
Shannon Tomei, another registered Pennsylvania Republican according to county records, became the third winner on Monday, America PAC shared on social media.
In order to eligible for the sweepstakes, which will last until Election Day on November 5, voters have to live in one of the seven swing states and sign a petition from Musks America PAC promising to support free speech and gun rights.
Dreher was presented with an oversized check during an America PAC rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, while Fishell posed with hers at a town hall event on the outskirts of Pittsburgh on Sunday.
John Dreher, a Republican voter who has already mailed in his ballot, stood with Elon Musk on Saturday as he was awarded a $1million check
On Sunday, Kristine Fishell was given her prize at a town hall event on the outskirts of Pittsburgh
Shannon Tomei, 56, became the third person to win the $1million for signing the petition
Tomei, 56, posed with her family members holding the check. In one photo, she is seen beaming alongside her husband.
Musk has said the winners are chosen randomly. The first three are all from Pennsylvania, a state most election-watchers say is crucial in either candidates path to the White House.
If Musks lottery continues until November 5, there is $15 million left to be awarded.
Experts have likened what the Tesla CEO is doing to an illegal vote-buying scheme and election interference, as America PAC is no doubt supportive of former President Donald Trump.
Musk himself has given $75 million of his own money to the super PAC he founded over the past three months. He was also the only donor, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Musk endorsed Trump for president on X, the social media platform he owns, the same day the GOP nominee was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The worlds richest man later joined Trump at an October rally that revisited Butler, where he jumped around on stage before delivering a speech to supporters.
We had one president who couldnt climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist-pumping after getting shot! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! he said.
Musk has said his goal with the daily giveaway is to get over a million, maybe two million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment.
He aims to do that by also offering signers $47 per each registered voter they get to sign the petition.
Tomei, 56, holds up a $1 million check alongside her husband, Ian
Musk jumped on the stage as former President Donald Trump spoke at an October 5 campaign stop in Butler, where the GOP nominee was shot in July
America PAC and Musk have responded to the claims of illegality by reiterating that voters only need to sign the petition and dont have to be affiliated with any one party, The Daily Beast reported.
Derek Muller, who teaches at Notre Dame Law School, told CNN: When you start limiting prizes or giveaways to only registered voters or only people who have voted, thats where bribery concerns arise.
Muller, a CNN contributor, warned that by limiting the giveaway to only registered voters it appears as though Musk is handing out cash for voter registration.
Democrats and Republicans alike have called for Musk to be investigated for his conduct.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had been in the running to be Kamala Harris running mate, called the cash prizes dark money during an appearance on Meet the Press.
There are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, Shapiro said. I think its something that law enforcement could take a look at...it does raise some serious questions.
Democratic governors Josh Shapiro and Tim Walz have emerged as some of the loudest critics of Musks plan to activate voters in swing states
A day later, The Washington Post reported that prominent former GOP lawmakers, presidential advisors and Justice Department officials called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Musk.
Among the signees on the letter addressed to Garland was Olivia Troye, special advisor to Vice President Mike Pence from 2018 to 2020.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who became Harris vice presidential pick in August, also decried Musks cash handouts Monday on the daytime TV show The View.
Well, I think thats what you do when you have no plan for the public, Walz said.
When you have no economic plan thats going to benefit the middle class, when you have no plan to protect reproductive rights, when you have no plan to address climate change and produce American energy – you go to these types of tactics, he added.