Elon Musk on June 15 said he is leaning toward voting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in the 2024 election and predicted that a “red wave” is coming in 2022.
In response to a question from a popular Tesla fan account on Twitter, Musk said it remains to be determined whether he will vote for a Republican for president. When asked who he is leaning toward, Musk replied, “DeSantis.”
DeSantis, a Republican, has not said he will run for president in 2024. Former President Donald Trump is widely expected to run again.
At a press conference later on Wednesday, DeSantis said he is focused on his gubernatorial reelection bid in November 2022.
“I’m focused on 2022,” the governor said. “But always appreciate the support from African Americans!”
The brief exchange was part of a conversation on Twitter that Musk started by revealing that he had cast the first vote for a Republican in his life in the special election in the 34th Congressional District in Texas. Musk voted for Mayra Flores, who won the election in the heavily-Hispanic district which has voted for Democrats for decades.
“I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican,” Musk said. “Massive red wave in 2022.”
With more than 95 percent of the votes counted at 11:09 p.m. ET on June 14, Flores received 51 percent of the vote in the special election, according to Decision Desk HQ. Democrat rival Dan Sanchez received 43.3 percent of the vote.
Flores will serve the remainder of the term in the seat vacated by former Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas), who resigned this spring to work for Akin Gump, a Washington law and lobbying firm.
“I’m forever grateful,” Flores said in a victory speech on June 14. “For 100 years we have been taken for granted.”
Republicans at the national level have committed money and effort to the Flores race, believing that South Texas Latinos share conservatives’ concerns about border security and the economy.
The opportunity to break the South Texas blue barrier has emboldened Republicans, who aim to flip the region red and regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Musk first revealed that he is planning to vote Republican in a Twitter post last month.
“In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party,” Musk wrote on May 18. “But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican.”
Musk is in the process of acquiring Twitter and taking the company private.
The billionaire further revealed that he supported Democrat Andrew Yang for president in the 2020 election.
“I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning,” Musk wrote in a Twitter post.
