Elon Musk has announced that he voted for Mayra Flores in the special election for Texas’ 34th Congressional District and said that he leans towards supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2024.
DeSantis responded by saying that he welcomes "support from African-Americans."
The Tesla founder said that his vote for Flores was the first time that he has ever voted Republican. He also predicted a "massive red wave in 2022."
Flores will now be serving the remainder of former Democrat Rep. Filemon Vela's term, following his resignation in March. I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican.
Massive red wave in 2022.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2022
“I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday. “Massive red wave in 2022.”
Musk also said that he leans towards supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis if he decides to run for the presidency in 2024. I’m thinking of creating a “Super Moderate Super PAC” that supports candidates with centrist views from all parties
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2022
When asked by a Twitter user if his political donations will still be "evenly spread out," presumably meaning across political parties, Musk said that "I’m thinking of creating a 'Super Moderate Super PAC' that supports candidates with centrist views from all parties."
Asked about Andrew Yang, Musk said that he supported him previously, but that "DeSantis has a better chance of winning." I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2022
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, the governor was asked to comment on Musk's remarks.
"I'm focused on 2022, but with Elon Musk, what I would say is you know I welcome support from African-Americans. What can I say?" DeSantis replied. "I'm focused on 2022, but with @elonmusk what I would say is you know I welcome support from African-Americans. What can I say?" - @GovRonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/SuWQVLMORE
— Robbie Myers (@robbievmyers) June 15, 2022
As Timcast reported earlier this week, DeSantis refused to answer on Monday when pressed by Fox News about the possibility of a 2024 presidential bid.
During Monday's episode of Fox & Friends, host Pete Hegseth tried his best to get a answer about which way he is leaning.
“Let’s cut the small talk,” Hegseth said. “2022’s coming up, 2024. We know President Trump is considering a run. We know your name is atop that list as well. Where does that all sit in your mind right now?”
“It just sits when people always bring up my name,” DeSantis responded. “We’ve got a lot going on.”
DeSantis explained that he is focused on winning his 2022 race for re-election as governor of Florida and helping to bring a "red wave" across the nation.
Hegseth was not ready to give up — briefly changing the subject, then trying to ask again.
“Nice try man,” DeSantis replied. “We’re having fun here. It’s all good.”
DeSantis has now defeated Trump twice in the Western Conservative Summit's annual straw poll. In this year’s poll, 71 percent said that they supported the Florida governor running for president, while 67 percent wanted former President Donald Trump to run again. Attendees were allowed to choose more than one candidate, however, according to a report from Mediaite.
In May, DeSantis also beat Trump as the top pick for 2024 in a Wisconsin Republican Party straw poll.
When presented with a hypothetical 2024 GOP field, nearly 38 percent of attendants backed DeSantis, while Trump came in second at 32 percent. None of the other possible candidates named made it into the double digits.
DeSantis also recently caught up to Trump as a front-runner on PredictIt for odds of winning the 2024 election.
Neither of the two have officially announced that they are running in 2024, though Trump has repeatedly heavily implied that he intends to.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include Governor DeSantis' response to Musk's statement.
