Elon Musk.Photo: PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP/Getty
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, is again wading into politics, now urging followers to vote Republican in Tuesday’s midterm elections, which will determine which political party controls Congress and therefore how policies surrounding reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ expression, education and economy are shaped.
On Monday, Musk took to Twitter to write a message he aimed at “independent-minded voters.”
“Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk said, adding in a follow-up: “Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!”
The tweet — which is now pinned at the top of Musk’s Twitter profile — effectively endorses an entire swath of candidates and comes months after the Tesla founder said he wants to make the social media platform “balanced,” saying at a tech conference in May, “I think there’s a need for a public town square where people can debate issues of all kinds … where it feels balanced from a political standpoint [and] it’s not biased one way or the other.”
Musk has also recently claimed he wants to make Twitter “the most accurate source of information about the world.”
Clinton’s tweet came in response to the recent attack on House SpeakerNancy Pelosi’s husband,Paul Pelosi, who underwent brain surgery after an attacker beat him with a hammer in his San Francisco home.
Musk has voiced support for Republicans before, saying earlier this year that he voted for Democrats “overwhelmingly” in the past, but wouldprobably vote for more Republicansmoving forward.
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Musk closed a $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter late last month and has since seen droves of advertisers leave the platform, particularly after his Pelosi tweet.
The new Twitter owner himself noted the platform had seen “a massive drop in revenue,” saying it was “extremely messed up!” and “due to activist groups pressuring advertisers.”
Since Musk’s takeover, controversy has swirled overreports on upticks in hate speech, whetherDonald Trump’s ban will be reversed — “If I had a dollar for every time someone asked….Twitter would be minting money!” he wrote in one recent tweet — as well asrumored changes for verified accounts.
Check your voter registration, locate your polling place, and make a voting plan atVote.orgto ensure that your voice is heard this election season.
source: people.com
