Last July, after more than a week of threatening to do so, Elon Musk formally launched the America Party, a third political party that he said would represent the silent majority of Americans and one that seemed to formally sever his ties with the Trump administration.
But things move fast in the political world. Musk’s anger at the White House has since dissipated and Trump is no longer aiming social media barbs at the one-time trillionaire. And as the midterm elections draw near, Musk is once again spending heavily to support Republicans.
A report in the New York Times says Musk has authorized his super PAC, known as America PAC, to spend between $100 million and $120 million across at least eight states to ensure Republicans are elected. The push will begin in August, according to reports.
Musk’s super PAC will initially target Senate races in Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan and Maine, and is discussing jumping into races in North Carolina, Texas and Georgia. It also plans to financially support Republicans in House races in California, Washington and Wisconsin (and possibly other states).
A green wave
Trump’s approval rating is at record lows, falling to 38.2%, with a 58.8% disapproval rating in the latest Nate Silver poll tracker. That has given hope to Democrats that they might be able to flip several seats in the House and Senate in November.
Republicans have the cash advantage, though, at least when it comes to super PACs. The two main Republican super PACs have $380 million in their war chest. Democrats have just $193 million in theirs (though the House super PAC has not reported its June fund-raising totals). Trump’s own super PAC, MAGA Inc, has another $382 million.
The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, has $125 million in reserve, while the Democratic National Committee is $3 million in debt. Amidst all of this, the Supreme Court recently lifted several restrictions on how private money can be spent in elections.
Musk’s formal re-entry on the side of Republicans could give the party a big boost. It is, however, a complete 180-degree turn from his thinking last July.
At the time, Musk was talking about the America Party being “laser-focus[ed] on just two or three Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts. Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws,” Fast Company reports.
Musk had garnered online support from Mark Cuban and former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci, among others.
The decision to mothball the America Party likely came from a variety of factors, including a cooling of tensions between Musk and Trump, SpaceX’s IPO and the company’s need for government contracts, and the fact that Musk’s conservative philosophies would likely have meant any candidates from that party would take votes away from conservative candidates and improve the chances of the Democrats.
Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 35 years of experience at many of the internet's biggest news outlets. In addition to his activities as a writer, reporter and editor, Chris is also a frequent panel moderator and speaker at major conferences, including CES and South by Southwest.
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