Musk Enters the DA Election Wars

For some years now, George Soros has been spending a chunk of his fortune to buy district attorney seats in many cities by injecting a massive infusion of cash in support of a soft-on-crime candidate, often with deceptive ads. In Los Angeles last time, for example, ads for George Gascón touted him as the Democratic candidate, even though the race was nonpartisan and his opponent was a lifelong Democrat.

The good news is that another billionaire, Elon Musk, is weighing in on the other side, Joe Palazzolo and Dana Mattioli report for the WSJ. The bad news is that his first effort was a flop.

In Travis County, Texas (Austin and vicinity), Musk funded independent expenditures in support of a challenger to the Soros-funded incumbent, José Garza. However, the advertisement was regarded as over-the-top and produced a backlash, according to the WSJ story. Garza won the primary handily, and he will likely win the general election as well.

In politics, as in stand-up comedy, you have to “read the room.” Austin is the Berkeley of Texas, and a more deft approach is needed.