Elon Musk Makes ‘Rare’ Endorsement of Political Candidate

Tesla CEO Elon Musk as seen in a 2019 file photo. Aly Song/Reuters

Tech billionaire Elon Musk announced he is endorsing Los Angeles mayoral challenger Rick Caruso in a rare backing of a political candidate.

“Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. He’s awesome,” he wrote on Twitter Friday.

Musk noted that it is “rare” for him to “endorse political candidates,” according to another Twitter post. “My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans. Executive competence is super underrated in politics—we should care about that a lot more!”

Caruso, a billionaire who recently changed his party affiliation to Democrat and sits on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, is running against Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.). Caruso was a Republican until 2019 when he became an independent. Current Mayor Eric Garcetti, also a Democrat, faces term limits and won’t be on the ballot.

Real estate developer Rick Caruso makes his first appearance to the Los Angeles Mayoral Debate at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on March 22, 2022. Screenshot via YouTube/Fox 11 Los Angeles

Twelve names are on the ballot for the primary election that ends June 7, though several candidates have dropped out and the race is shaping up as a fight between Caruso and Bass, who was on then-President-elect Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president. If no candidate clears 50 percent—which is likely with a crowded ballot—the top two finishers advance to a November runoff.

“Part of this is going to be how people feel about them as they get to know them better. We don’t know the answer to that,” said veteran Democratic consultant Bill Carrick, who thinks voters are looking for solutions for homelessness and crime, not obsessing with past political affiliations.

In a recent interview, Caruso said that he would hire more police officers if he’s elected and has cited an increase in violent crime across Los Angeles in recent years.

“It’s hard to find officers because good officers don’t want to work for LAPD now because they got defunded in 2019 under the current leadership, including the current commission, and they’re demoralized, so why do you want to come work?” Caruso said, according to a recent interview. “I’m going to turn that around, change the culture, get officers excited about being an officer in L.A. city.”

Musk made his Twitter post on Friday just hours after the New York Times produced an article on Caruso, which read, “The Mall Mogul and Former Republican Who Could Lead Los Angeles.”

“You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to make L.A. more livable,” Caruso was quoted by the paper as saying. “We’re going to have cleaner streets and better parks, and we’re going to have lower crime. And you’re going to be able to go for a walk and not worry about it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.