The Battle We Didn’t Expect: Larry Krasner vs. Elon Musk
"Musk must be stopped," writes Krasner in a just-filed court document. Plus, Kamala Harris had quite the Sunday in Philly.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Elon Musk, who are going to battle in court over Musk’s $1 million voter lottery (Krasner photo courtesy Office of the District Attorney / Musk photo via Wikimedia Commons)
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It’s Larry Krasner vs. Elon Musk In a Battle Over a $1 Million Voting Lottery
In one corner, you have a highly intelligent person who is one of the most controversial and polarizing Philadelphia political figures of his time, one hated by Republicans. In the other corner, you have a highly intelligent person who is one of the most controversial and polarizing figures of his time worldwide, and loved, at least for the moment, by Donald Trump. Yes, it’s a battle between Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and bonkers rich guy Elon Musk, a matchup we definitely did not have on our 2024 Bingo Card. And yet, here were are.
On Monday morning, Krasner, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, filed an emergency petition for a preliminary injunction against Musk and America PAC, Musk’s Texas-based Trump-backing PAC that has been handing out $1 million prizes to voters in a ridiculous lottery that, when announced, made me feel like American Democracy was headed in the direction of The Running Man. (I know, I know: Plenty of you probably feel like that’s already happened, but I’m trying to stave off the cynicism and hold out hope.)
This should be patently obvious to you, but Krasner says the lottery scheme is illegal. In short, a voter has to sign a petition on America PAC’s website, saying they support the Constitution. (Well, in particular, the First and Second amendments.) After the voter does that, they are automatically entered into the lottery, or sweepstakes, as some are calling it. The thing is, lotteries and sweepstakes have very clearly defined laws surrounding them in Pennsylvania, one of the states where voters are eligible to play Musk’s game, and so Krasner is going after Musk and the PAC for flouting those laws. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro had already questioned the legality of Musk’s $1 million lottery. And then early last week, the United States Department of Justice issued a warning to Musk.
“America PAC and Musk must be stopped, immediately, before the upcoming Presidential Election,” Krasner wrote in his lawsuit. “That is because America PAC and Musk hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election.”
Musk and his PAC have yet to comment on the litigation.
According to court documents reviewed by Philly Mag, Musk and America PAC have until November 1st at 10 a.m. — that’s this Friday, with Election Day just four days later — to explain to the court why Krasner’s request shouldn’t be granted. A hearing between the parties is scheduled for 10 a.m. at City Hall in front of Judge Anne Marie Coyle. Expect a circus. Even the judge herself is not without controversy.
It Was Kamala Harris Sunday in Philadelphia
Kamala Harris has been spending a lot of time in the city we call home, and Sunday was no different. It was a veritable Kamala Harris tour de force on Sunday. She went to church. She visited a barbershop. Then there was a stop at Freddy and Tony’s Restaurant, a popular Puerto Rican spot in North Philadelphia. (Yes, this on the same day that a MAGA man who rallied with Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”) Harris concluded her Philly fun with a rally at a Nicetown youth basketball center.
The Harris party continues on Monday in Philly, though not with Harris, who will be campaigning elsewhere. Don’t be too disappointed, though. We still get Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and John Legend. Expect things to be a bit crazy on the northern side of the city this afternoon and tonight. The rally with that talented trifecta will reportedly start around 7 p.m. at the Liacouras Center at Temple.
So where’s Donald Trump? He’s schedule to appear at a discussion in Delco on Tuesday. No word on whether he’s toting Hulk Hogan or Elon Musk with him.
By the Numbers
5,000: Approximate number of SEPTA employees who could be called to strike if the city doesn’t reach a deal with Transportation Workers Union Local 234 by the time the current contract ends on November 7th. Primary concerns include safety on SEPTA (there have been a rash of violent incidents) and a lack of salary increases. Alas, the union’s demands do not include removing the unmistakable piss smell from the Broad Street Line platforms. Priorities!
11,000: Minimum number of marijuana certifications (you can think of a marijuana certification as your permission to obtain medical marijuana) issued by three doctors in Pennsylvania in 2022. They’re basically all-stars in the field, considering that of the 1,300 doctors out there issuing marijuana certifications, the vast majority (892) issued fewer than 100 that year while 325 doctors issued between 100 and 1,000. So, yeah, you could call these three outliers. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and legislators in Harrisburg have taken notice. So get those marijuana certifications while you can!
3: Armed retail store robberies this one suspect is alleged to have committed in one day. That might seem impressive. But consider that police have attributed just $1,300 in stolen money to him, which averages out to about $433 per robbery. And that one armed robbery carries with it a potential sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison, and that multiple robberies could result in multiple consecutive sentences. I think those guys at the watch store in King of Prussia had a more well-thought-out plan.
Local Talent
Overbrook High School alum Colman Domingo continues to see his star rise in Hollywood. The actor, whom you may have seen in Fear the Walking Dead, Euphoria, Zola, Rustin, Sing Sing, and the recent musical remake of The Color Purple, was just confirmed as director for Scandalous. It’s a film about the secret affair between Sammy Davis Jr. and Kim Novak and marks Domingo’s directorial debut. Keep in mind this affair happened in the 1950s, so … scandalous indeed!
