Elon Musk urged Twitter users to vote for Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections on Monday, less than 24 hours before voters go to the polls.
Musk, now owner of the social media giant, weighed in on the heated midterm elections after facing weeks of backlash over possible changes to Twitter’s policy around the platform’s free speech.
He has long described his political affiliation as independent or moderate and suggested other independent voters should back the GOP to offer a check on the authority of Democratic President Joe Biden.
“To independent voters: Power sharing curbs the worst excesses of both parties, which is why I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the presidency is Democratic,” Musk wrote.
Elon Musk attends the Met Gala in New York City on May 2, 2022. Musk on Monday recommended that Twitter users vote for Republican candidates in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
He added in a follow-up tweet: “Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who really decide who is in charge.”
His endorsement was met with a mixed reception from Twitter users, some of whom expressed concern about how it fits in with previous statements supporting neutrality on the platform.
«Hola @Elon Muskin this tweet from April, you said that Twitter should be politically neutral,” tweeted Reuters journalist Kanishka Raj Singh. platform?”
Hola @Elon Muskin this april tweet you said twitter should be politically neutral https://t.co/XHo9gPR2b5
How would you, as head of Twitter, justify recommending which party people should vote for after you defended the platform’s political neutrality?
—Kanishka Raj Singh (@Kanishka183) November 7, 2022
In Musk’s earlier tweet, he wrote that “for Twitter to deserve the public’s trust, it needs to be politically neutral, which really means upsetting the far right and far left alike.”
Musk’s history of political support
Despite Musk’s endorsement of the GOP for this year’s midterm elections, he has a history of supporting both major parties.
In May, Musk tweeted that he donated and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and voted for Biden in 2020, saying at the time that he planned to vote Republican in the midterm elections due to “unprovoked attacks by top Democrats on me.” and others”. very cold shoulder with Tesla and SpaceX.
However, he tweeted in June that he voted for Republican House candidate Mayra Flores in a Texas special election, noting that it was the “first time” he had voted for a Republican. He added that he predicted there would be a “massive red wave in 2022.”
He also said at the time that he was not sure who he would support in the 2024 presidential election, but that he was leaning forward Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In July, Musk called on former President Donald Trump to “hang up your hat and sail off into the sunset.”
What the polls say about midterms
Republicans appear poised to regain control of the House, but Democrats remain competitive in a series of close races that could leave the GOP with only a slim majority. The Senate is seen as a toss-up, with races in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania likely determining the outcome.
Traditionally, the president’s party loses congressional seats in his first half term, and the Democrats have been preparing to lose. However, they are banking on greater enthusiasm around abortion, after the Supreme Court struck down Roe contra Wade, to mitigate losses.
The Republicans’ strength among independent voters could carry them over the finish line. A CBS/YouGov poll released in late October found an 18-point swing among independent voters in favor of Republicans, indicating they could help the GOP win seats on Tuesday.