Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, cast his first-ever Republican vote for Maya Flores in the Texas primary. The billionaire confirmed his political stance, voting for the first Mexican-born congresswoman who defeated the leading Democratic candidate in the historically blue South Texas region. 

“I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican. Massive red wave in 2022”, the 50-year-old tweeted. 

Musk’s support for Flores, as a candidate, shows his continued movement toward those who reflect centrist values. Flores, who got 51% of the total votes, said after her victory, “For over 100 years, we have been taken for granted. I will show you what real representation looks like. I will represent all people.” 

The entrepreneur’s support doesn’t just end with voting. Musk also detailed plans of starting a ‘Super Moderate Super PAC’. He replied to a Twitter user who asked him whether Musk’s political donations would be evenly spread out. He replied, “I’m thinking of creating a ‘Super Moderate Super PAC’ that supports candidates with centrist views from all parties.” 

Also Read | Twitter banter: Dorsey’s Web5 attracts a Musk ‘69’ joke

Musk also expressed that he’d be backing Florida governor Ron DeSantis. The Republican has launched a 2024 presidential bid, and the campaign is expected to take off after DeSantis wins the Florida gubernatorial re-election in November. 

The potential presidential candidate has been mired in controversy after signing the Parental Rights in Education bill in March, which says school teachers may not instruct on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through the third grade. While critics have referred to this as the ‘Don’t Say Gay‘ law, self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, Musk, seems okay voting for a candidate whose reforms seek to stymy this very free speech in classrooms. 

Also Read | ‘Psychedelics and MDMA’: Musk’s solution to the US mental health crisis

Musk was also asked whether he’d consider voting for tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, to which he replied “I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning”. 

However, as Musk himself admitted, his recent declaration of who he voted for is a signal that the entrepreneur is going to be more outspoken about who he supports.