WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Elon Musk, Twitter's new owner, pushed Americans on Tuesday to support a Republican Congress to counterbalance President Joe Biden's Democrats, marking the first time a major social media CEO expressly took a side.
"Because shared authority limits the worst excesses of both parties, I advocate voting for a Republican Congress, assuming that the Presidency is Democratic," Musk tweeted to his more than 110 million followers on Monday.Republicans are expected to win a majority in the House of Representatives in Tuesday's elections, but the Senate is considered a toss-up by impartial pollsters. Democrats now dominate both houses of Congress.Musk, the world's richest person and CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), took over Twitter in a $44 billion transaction last month and has implemented radical measures such as laying off half of the workforce and instituting a fee for blue check verification marks.His absolute stance on free speech has prompted several organisations to warn of an increase in disinformation, and some advertisers to withdraw their support. Twitter suspended comic Kathy Griffin due to a crackdown on users mimicking Musk.
Later, he added, "I'm open to the possibility of voting Democrat again in the future," and stated that he has previously voted as an independent for Democrats.
Musk has criticised the Biden administration and Democrats for their plans to tax millionaires and provide tax breaks for union-made electric autos. Tesla's plants in the United States are not unionised.Republicans could use a majority in either house to derail Biden's agenda and launch potentially embarrassing probes into his administration and family.
According to Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Musk's statements are unlikely to alter the result of the election.
"It's difficult to anticipate any form of celebrity 'endorsement,' as this is essentially, to have much, if any, influence on voter behaviour," Kondik said.
When asked about Musk's remarks, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, "The president has frequently spoken about the significance of voting, and I'm just going to leave it there so as not to get engaged in any type of electoral discourse."NEW SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE LINE
Musk is hardly the only social media executive who has taken outspoken political positions.
Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), has given generously to progressive politicians and backed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Sandberg, like other leaders, avoided overtly advising her followers how to vote and worked hard to keep her personal beliefs separate from her business.
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has expressed dissatisfaction with both Republican and Democratic politics, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife donated to two groups that awarded funding to state and municipal governments to assist them in conducting elections.
In a letter toNEW SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE LINE
Musk is hardly the only social media executive who has taken outspoken political positions.
Reuters, According to Jessica Gonzalez, co-CEO of the advocacy organisation Free Press, Musk's statement demonstrated that he "is not shown himself to be an even-keeled CEO that advertisers can trust."
Tesla relocated its headquarters from California, its largest market, to the more conservative state of Texas last year. Musk also relocated his personal residence from California to Texas, which does not have a state income tax.
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