Elon Musk’s threat of fielding candidates for his “America Party” has Democrats in competitive districts seeing a window to flip several seats, viewing the addition of a third-party as a spoiler in their favor, Politico reported on Saturday.
Since breaking from his close bond with Trump, the Tesla CEO has become disillusioned with the administration he largely helped elect. Musk’s antipathy toward Trump’s “big, beautiful, bill” coupled with his frustration with Republicans to fully embrace his DOGE efforts have left Musk feeling without a political home.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel told the outlet, “I think it leads to a better position for Democrats in what I think was already a pretty good position going into 2026.” Christina Bohannan, an Iowa Democrat who is challenging Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, agreed, arguing that a tight race in a conservative district benefits her party from a libertarian-leaning candidate
“This race was so close in 2024 – it came down to just 799 votes out of 413,000, and so it was literally one of the very closest races in the country,” Bohannan said. “So, anything that alters the shape of the race in terms of third-party candidates could have an impact.”
While many Americans support the idea of a third-party option, the idea of it being led by Musk significantly dampens their enthusiasm. A CNN poll released last week showed that 63% of U.S. adults support an alternative, but when asked if Musk’s party is the answer, 74% are opposed. Heath Mayo, a conservative activist and founder of the advocacy group Principles First, says Musk’s party is narrow in focus, sighting primarily fiscal restraint.
“My first reaction was, it seems pretty confined in substance,” Mayo said. “And because of that, I think it pulls some of the following that he has that has sort of found its way into the Republican Party base.”
Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania-based GOP operative, was less sure Musk’s billion would be enough to sway the conservative base. “Elon Musk’s money is enough to sway a significant number of elections,” Gerow said. “But you have to look at the individual candidates and the message they run on. There’s a lot of factors that will play into whether or not he’s successful. I think at this stage it’s hard to predict the outcome when we don’t really know what he’s going to do.”
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