Elon Musk Spirals Over His Failure to Buy Elections

After wasting almost half a billion dollars supporting Republicans in the midterm elections, tech oligarch Elon Musk is having trouble digesting the Democratic landslide. Musk took to his X platform in the early hours after midnight Wednesday, offering some lame observations as his preferred candidates were trounced. At about 1:12 am, Musk posted, “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now,” before following that up with, “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time 🤷‍♂️” a minute later. A couple of hours later, he commented, “Interesting” on a repost of exit polling purporting to show that voters supported the Trump administration’s immigration policies, but massively opposed the Iran war.It’s not clear where that polling is from or whether it is credible, but in any case, Musk appears to be trying to cope with the negative results as best as he can. Stocks in his Tesla and SpaceX companies are plummeting Wednesday despite other tech companies doing well in early trading. His plan to merge SpaceX and Tesla might now hit some obstacles in a Democratic-controlled Congress, which has already signaled that investigations of the tech oligarch are on the way. Plus, Musk moved his companies from California to Texas to escape Democratic oversight, only to now have a Democratic governor in the Lone Star State, Gina Hinojosa, who campaigned against Musk. She also called for a moratorium on new data centers and an end to tax breaks for the industry. Now, Democrats in Texas, as well as across the country, have him and other tech barons in their crosshairs. “They are going to need to plant new forests for all of the subpoenas we’ll be printing,” posted Democratic Senator Ed Markey Tuesday night.Michigan voted to send Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to the Senate Tuesday night, making him the first Muslim senator. El-Sayed beat Republican Mike Rogers with 51.89 percent of the vote, Decision Desk HQ projected, with 77 percent of the votes counted.“You’ll notice I always say ‘Inshallah’ [God-willing],” El-Sayed said in his victory speech Tuesday evening. “Tonight, we can turn that ‘Inshallah’ into ‘Alhamdulillah’ [Praise Be to God].”El-Sayed survived a brutal election campaign beginning with the state’s Democratic primary in which millions of dollars in outside money was spent to try to defeat him, particularly from donors and organizations affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.In the end, El-Sayed’s message that money spent on the Iran war and on aid to Israel should be used to help struggling Americans propelled him to victory over Rogers. The former Detroit and Wayne County health commissioner also fought off Islamophobic attacks from Rogers, President Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.“JD, habibi, there’s a delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” Vance said in his victory speech.Last month, a Republican plant at a Michigan town hall attempted to trip up El-Sayed by asking him to condemn the Muslim Brotherhood, only for El-Sayed to turn the tables on the questioner, and create a viral campaign moment about his allegiance to the Constitution.President Clinton, who inspired El-Sayed to go into politics, went to Michigan to campaign for El-Sayed and condemned the Islamophobic attacks on him in a powerful speech in late October. Former President Obama also campaigned in Michigan for El-Sayed, as did Vice President Kamala Harris.El-Sayed’s victory in a close battleground state that Trump won in 2024 is even more good news for Democrats’ control of the Senate, but also for whoever the Democratic nominee for president will be in 2028. In order for Democrats to take back the White House in two years, they will almost certainly need Michigan’s electoral votes. This story has been updated.Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine has been unseated by Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, bringing an end to her decades-long stint as the “rubber stamp” for the GOP’s agenda. Collins called Jackson to concede Tuesday evening, MS NOW and CNN reported, as Jackson led with 52.2 percent of the vote and the race had not yet been called.Despite Collins’s attempts to distance herself from President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, it seems that there was no shaking the black mark of the president’s endorsement. “I hope she wins,” Trump said during an interview in August. “She’s a good person, actually.”Jackson, a former state senator, replaced erstwhile Democratic nominee Graham Platner in July, and quickly mounted a campaign that focused on Collins’s failure to meaningfully challenge Trump’s disastrous agenda. It’s been a tough year for the five-term senator. In September, it was reported that the FBI was investigating Collins for an alleged illegal pay-to-play scheme with a defense contractor—until the Trump administration killed the probe. Earlier this year, the 73-year-old lawmaker revealed that she’d been diagnosed with a condition called essential tremor, which causes shakiness in the voice and hands. Collins’s defeat represents a crucial step toward Democrats reclaiming control of the Senate. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan defeated Republican candidate Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s Senate race.Flanagan has defeated Tafoya 54–43 percent, with 72 percent of votes counted.Flanagan will replace Democratic Senator Tina Smith, making her the first Native woman in the U.S. Senate. Flanagan has served as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor since 2018, making her the highest-ranking Native American elected to executive office, according to her official bio.Tafoya, a former sportscaster, targeted Flanagan for serving under Governor Tim Walz, who has been accused by Republicans of overseeing sweeping, systemic social services fraud. In reality, the right-wing fervor over fraud allegations in Minnesota is a fabrication designed to punish Democrats and antagonize immigrants. The state has previously investigated and prosecuted improper payments to childcare services, as well as unrelated high-profile fraud prosecutions involving other Minnesota social services. Similar accusations made by the Trump administration have already been debunked. The two candidates also sparred over Operation Metro Surge, the sweeping immigration enforcement operation that tore apart communities across their state—and claimed the lives of two U.S. citizens. Tafoya had placed the blame on Walz for refusing to coordinate local and state agencies with federal law enforcement, while Flanagan argued for dismantling ICE altogether.Tafoya’s defeat gives Democrats an even greater majority in the Senate.Read more about Minnesota:It’s official: Blexas is here. In a shocking upset, both Republican Governor Greg Abbott and former Attorney General Ken Paxton were ousted by Democratic challengers Tuesday. Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than three decades on Tuesday, ousting Abbott, the Republican incumbent, who outspent her by tens of millions of dollars. Hinojosa’s victory makes her the state’s first Hispanic governor. Meanwhile, James Talarico beat embattled Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the state’s first Democratic senator in 33 years. Talarico’s victory helped to push Democrats to retake control of the U.S. Senate.Hinojosa and Talarico have won a state that President Donald Trump won by 56 percent just two years ago.