Billionaire Elon Musk urged undecided voters to back Republican candidates ahead of critical midterm elections on Tuesday that will determine control of Congress.
“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk said.
“Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!” Musk added.
A self-described centrist, Musk has grown increasingly outspoken about his political views ahead of this year’s elections. The billionaire has drawn intense criticism from Democrats, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, as he overhauls Twitter’s business and content moderation practices.
In August, Musk was invited to speak at an exclusive GOP donors retreat and urged lawmakers to adopt a more compassionate stance to attract more voters. During the event, Musk reportedly said the country would improve if Republicans “stayed out of people’s bedrooms” and Democrats stayed “out of people’s wallets,” according to Axios.
Musk also declared in June that he was “in favor of anything that would result in more centrist candidates being elected!”
Despite his centrist views, Musk has increasingly shifted toward Republican candidates following frequent clashes with Democratic lawmakers. In May, he declared that he plans to vote Republican in the future because the Democratic Party has shifted too far left.
“In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party,” Musk said at the time. “But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican.”
Musk has also indicated that he was leaning toward supporting Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Democrats have argued that Musk’s emphasis on free speech will embolden extremist voices and create a dangerous situation on Twitter.
During a fundraiser event last week, President Biden jabbed Musk’s Twitter takeover by claiming he had bought an “outfit that sends and spews lies all across the world.”
Democrats are also watching closely to see if Musk will reverse the permanent suspension of former President Donald Trump’s account, which was first enacted after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Musk previously said any decision on suspended accounts was still weeks away and contingent on a review by a new content moderation panel.
Republican and Democratic leaders are making a final push to lure voters ahead of Election Day, with inflation, crime and abortion rights among the major issues leading many to the polls.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
