CNN data analyst Harry Enten has a warning for Republican candidates: Stay far, far away from First Buddy Elon Musk.
“Elon Musk, simply put, is an unpopular guy. He is political poison,” Enten said on Wednesday’s edition of CNN News Central, arguing that the billionaire’s high-profile involvement in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race has backfired on the GOP.
“If you’re a Republican candidate running in a swing state, you don’t want Elon Musk anywhere near you,” he said. “Yes maybe you like the money, but you do not want his presence in your state.”
Musk has reportedly funneled a record $21 million into the race for a critical state Supreme Court seat, backing Trump-endorsed candidate Brad Schimel. The world’s richest man even traveled to Wisconsin to appear at a town hall and rally, betting that his brand and fortune—handing out $1 million checks to voters in a stunt—would propel Schimel to victory.
But voters soundly rejected the Republican candidate on Tuesday night, handing a 10-point victory to liberal Susan Crawford less than five months after President Donald Trump carried the state in the presidential election.
On the heels of Trump’s sweeping second-term win, Musk has quickly taken a prominent role in the White House, axing federal jobs and dismantling entire agencies in his relentless cost-cutting rampage at the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
His merciless approach has sparked fierce backlash—both political and literal. In what appears to be a growing revolt against the billionaire, Tesla cars and dealerships have been targeted in political acts of vandalism.
Enten highlighted polling that shows Musk’s favorability ratings are deep in the red, sitting at negative 12 points in Wisconsin and negative 17 points nationwide, according to Enten’s aggregate and a Marquette Law survey.
Trump, apparently rattled by his senior adviser’s humiliating fail in Wisconsin, told his Cabinet that Musk will be stepping down from DOGE in the next few weeks, Politico reported Wednesday.
