The removal of explicit political endorsements coincided with Democrat James Talarico defeating Musk-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate contest. Musk directed roughly $216 million into his super PAC for voter turnout and advertising, yet only 19 of the 106 federal candidates he supported managed to win their races. Following the setbacks, he pivoted his public commentary toward commercial projects like Starlink and Grok. The resulting political landscape contributed to share declines for Tesla and SpaceX alongside a substantial drop in executive net worth.
Key points
Only 19 of the 106 House and Senate candidates supported by Musk secured victories in the…: Only 19 of the 106 House and Senate candidates supported by Musk secured victories in their midterm races.
Forbes estimated that Musk lost $23.7 billion in personal net worth on Wednesday morning…: Forbes estimated that Musk lost $23.7 billion in personal net worth on Wednesday morning following the election results.
The platform chatbot Grok confirmed that political endorsements were removed from the sit…: The platform chatbot Grok confirmed that political endorsements were removed from the site after the Republican defeats.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Elon Musk has deleted social media posts urging voters to support Republican candidates in the US midterm elections, after Democrats made significant gains and secured control of both chambers of Congress.
The removed posts included a pinned October 29 message calling on voters to elect Republican senators and an Election Day appeal stating “Vote red today!”. According to Forbes, Musk took down the pinned post early Wednesday, around the time Democrat James Talarico claimed victory in the Texas Senate race.
The news agency Associated Press called the Texas contest for Talarico shortly after 11 pm EST on Tuesday, confirming the defeat of Republican Ken Paxton, who had received substantial financial backing from Musk.
Musk's chatbot Grok also confirmed the deletion after an X user asked whether he was removing posts related to the election. “True,” Grok replied late Wednesday morning, saying Musk had deleted the “Vote red today!” message after the results showed “major Republican losses”.
The Election Day appeal was among Musk's few direct interventions on the platform urging support for Republicans.
High-level talks in Moscow focused on regional security arrangements while conflict persists among Iran, Israel, and the United States. Tehran remains firm that critical waterways will stay shut and direct negotiations stalled until Washington meets its strict preconditions. The outreach reflects a coordinated diplomatic push by Iranian leadership alongside proposed bilateral infrastructure projects.
Seeking to shield his recent interior renovations from future redesigns, President Donald Trump has initiated a national monument designation for the Oval Office and adjacent spaces. The measure enlists the National Park Service to safeguard the architectural integrity of the historic room, which Trump characterized as a vital national symbol. This unprecedented step raises questions over how effectively monument protections can bind subsequent administrations in the executive workspace.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson visited the key bellwether seat of Bentleigh to campaign alongside candidate Tynan Putt ahead of the state election on 28 November. The visit began with an embarrassing mishap as the Coalition's branded campaign vehicle struck a closed jewellery store awning while attempting to reverse into a parking bay. Despite the clumsy entrance, Wilson's party currently holds a solid ten-point lead in recent two-party-preferred polling.