Election-interfering space lasers didn't work: Musk's sarcastic post amid Republican drubbing

Elon Musk took a sarcastic swipe at the Republican Party early Wednesday after several candidates he had spent record sums backing suffered major defeats in the US midterm elections.Musk, who reportedly spent an estimated USD 445 million during the election cycle, making him the largest individual political donor in modern US history, appeared to acknowledge the scale of the Republican losses in a post on X."Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn't work this time," he wrote.The Republican setbacks were particularly striking in Texas, where Democrats rode a massive electoral wave to secure major victories. Musk had reportedly invested heavily in Republican campaigns in the state, making the defeats a significant setback for his political bets. Musk also appeared to make a direct reference to the Texas race, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who has opposed the expansion of data centres, scored a surprise victory."Data centres in space looking pretty appealing right now," Musk, whose plans involve data centres and other infrastructure projects in Texas, wrote.Democrats scored a sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, capturing majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives and making significant gains in traditionally Republican strongholds. The party flipped six Republican Senate seats and at least eight House seats, while also winning governorships in Texas, Iowa and Ohio.Its victories in states such as Kansas, South Carolina and Texas marked a dramatic electoral shift in regions that backed Donald Trump by substantial margins in 2024.Among the biggest upsets, Adam Hamilton ended a nearly century-long Democratic drought in Kansas Senate elections, Sherrod Brown reclaimed an Ohio Senate seat, and James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas.In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Republican Senator Darline Graham. Democrats also unseated three-term Texas Governor Greg Abbott, with Gina Hinojosa emerging victorious. Even in Florida, where Republicans retained a Senate seat, their victory margin narrowed sharply.The results amounted to a major rebuke of Trump's presidency, with voter anger over the cost of living, economic management and the war against Iran emerging as key factors. Exit polls had showed that half of voters viewed the elections as an opportunity to rebuke Trump, while 70 per cent wanted Congress to impose stronger checks and balances on the president.Trump, who campaigned extensively for Republican candidates, dismissed the setback, claiming Republicans would have won by a landslide had he been on the ballot.- Ends