Musk’s comments came after 97 percent of people in a survey chose Mr. Paul as the Senate leader.
Elon Musk extended support to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to lead the Republican Party in the Senate after the current leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), retires this year.
On March 8, Mr. Paul held a
survey on X, asking people to choose from three candidates for the post of Senate leader—himself, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D), or Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). He received 96.6 percent support, with each of the two other candidates only getting less than two percent backing. Responding to the poll, Mr. Musk
said in an X post that it would be “interesting to see the other Senate leadership candidates run similar polls.” The billionaire then extended support for Mr. Paul.
“I would support Rand Paul and suspect that other candidates will not actually run polls out of concern for the results, but let’s see if they will!” Mr. Musk
said in a March 9 X post.
In his
comment on the survey results, Mr. Paul suggested that the Republican establishment may not prefer him as the Senate leader.
“With a 97 percent majority, grassroots demand leadership committed to America 1st, defending the ENTIRE Bill of Rights, and ending wasteful spending. This vote is a wake-up call for the establishment: their influence dwindles beyond DC. If only the leadership election took place online.”
The poll comes as Mr. McConnell
announced late last month that he will step down from the post of Senate GOP leader in November. He has held the post since 2007.
In addition to Mr. Musk, Mr. Paul has received backing from several influential people. “The next senate leader should be Rand Paul,”
said John Dennis, chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party.
“Rand Paul is one of the few politicians in DC who actually ‘gets it,’” Kyle Becker, CEO of Becker News and former associate producer at Fox News, said in a March 9 X
post. “I’d be thrilled if he were Senate Republican leader.”
“DC would be turned upside down with GOP Leader Paul and President Trump,”
said independent journalist Nick Sortor. “It’d be unreal. Make Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz Speaker and we’d have the dream team.”
Simon Ateba, chief White House correspondent at Today News Africa in Washington,
asked people to like his X post if they want to see Mr. Paul as the next Senate leader. The post received over 99,000 likes.
“I can now safely say that with nearly 100,000 people liking this post since I made it 48 hours ago, the base wants Rand Paul to replace Mitch McConnell as GOP Senate Leader, but will the RINOs allow it? Only time will tell,” he
wrote on March 2.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has
endorsed Mr. Paul as the next Senate GOP leader. “Part of public service is about knowing when to usher in a new generation. It’s time to promote leaders in Washington, DC who won’t kowtow to the military contractors or push us deeper into foreign conflicts,” he
said in a Feb. 29 X post.
“We need representation who will prioritize American wellness over all else. I believe @RandPaul would be an incredible successor.”
Race For New Leader
On Feb. 29, a group of 10 Republican senators sent a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference asking for a meeting to develop a process to elect a new leader in the chamber. They requested a conference for this purpose be held during the week of March 18.
Both Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Thune, who were featured in Mr. Paul’s survey, have confirmed their interest in taking up the post of GOP Senate leader.
Mr. Cornyn announced his bid in late February,
asking his colleagues to “give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell,” according to The Hill.
“Throughout my time I’ve built a track record of listening to colleagues and seeking consensus, while leading the fight to stop bad policies that are harmful to our nation and the conservative cause,” he stated.
When recently asked by a reporter from the TV station Keloland News whether he wants to be a GOP Senate leader, Mr. Thune
replied, “Well, I hope to be, and I’m going to do everything I can to convince my colleagues.”
Even though he is stepping down, Mr. McConnell said he has no intention of leaving the Senate and that he will be in a “different seat in the chamber.”
In a Feb. 29
commentary at The Daily Signal, Clint Brown, vice president of strategic initiatives at The Heritage Foundation, wrote that conservatives have a “generational opportunity” in front of them with Mr. McConnell stepping down as the Senate leader.
“The choice senators will face now is between continuing business as usual or setting up the Senate to fight to save the country,” he wrote. “To anyone not living under a rock, it should be clear what’s at stake. The leftist regime is prosecuting former President Donald Trump. The border is wide open. Inflation and federal deficit spending are crushing everyday Americans.”
“Conservatives across the country are exhausted by business as usual in the face of these multiple impending crises. Senators must recognize the moment in considering what type of leadership to elect.”
