Musk Faces Crucial Day: Democrats Target Trump's DOGE Chief in Special Elections
<b>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.</b> — Promoting new tariffs that he hopes will bring industry back to the U.S., President Donald Trump has designated April 2 as “Liberation Day.” However, April 1 could, and should, be Liberation Day for congressional...
TroibNews 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Promoting new tariffs that he hopes will bring industry back to the U.S., President Donald Trump has designated April 2 as “Liberation Day.”
However, April 1 could, and should, be Liberation Day for congressional Republicans in relation to Elon Musk.
If the Democratic-aligned nominee for the Wisconsin Supreme Court wins and the Republican candidate narrowly prevails, GOP lawmakers on the ballot next year may find themselves echoing Trump’s famous catchphrase from his entertainment career: You’re fired.
Congressional Republicans and their counterparts in state governments have limited recourse regarding Trump and his commitment to inflationary tariffs. He holds significant sway over the party, requiring them to cater to his every whim.
Nonetheless, Musk has intensified the backlash against Trump and spurred the revitalization of dissatisfied Democrats and independents reacting to the billionaire's nonchalant approach to diminishing federal government influence. If Republicans fail to urge the White House to distance itself from Musk, they risk a repeat of 2017 and 2018 when Democrats made gains during Trump’s first term, now with dual targets for the left to target.
Just look at recent political developments.
Consider the Democrats' surprising state-senate victory last week in Pennsylvania's Amish region, the overwhelming defeat of four state constitutional amendments championed by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and two deeply conservative Florida congressional special elections where Democratic candidates are projected to raise over $20 million collectively.
Additionally, there are now frequent protests at Tesla dealerships, town halls, and demonstrations featuring as many signs opposing Musk as Trump, alongside troubling episodes of vandalism directed at vehicles designed by Musk occurring nationwide.
Polling supports the notion that Musk is a liability for his party. According to a recent AP-NORC survey, Musk has lower favorability ratings than Trump among both independents and Republicans, while both figures are equally detested by Democrats.
So why is Musk, sporting a cheesehead hat, the leading figure in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race?
Two House Republicans, representing suburban districts, expressed hope that Musk would soon exit the political stage.
An "April 1st massacre" would be “a beautiful thing,” said one of these GOP lawmakers, as it would awaken congressional Republicans to the damage Musk is inflicting and empower those faces challenging races next year.
“There will be 26 or so people watching Tuesday, and they’ll decide how they want to be part of the team going forward,” the legislator said, referring to the most vulnerable GOP members.
Republican lawmakers understand the political harm Musk is causing because “the shit he puts up on the internet” regarding government spending or savings “is wrong.” Still, when it affects their districts, it resonates with both their MAGA base and local media, stirring anger among varying voter segments.
The other House Republican, who maintained a more cautious stance, asserted that the White House must declare victory and acknowledge Musk's contributions. “Elon’s work needs to wrap up, and he needs to exit stage left,” the lawmaker commented.
Of course, both Republicans were reluctant to reveal their identities due to Musk's financial influence and ownership of X.
Yet from the fear of defeat can arise courage, or at least a readiness to confide in Speaker Mike Johnson or Trump about the need to address Musk publicly.
It is evident that the president is acutely aware of the political risks facing his party. It took only one poll by his trusted surveyor, Tony Fabrizio, for Trump to withdraw Representative Elise Stefanik’s nomination as United Nations ambassador to avoid a potential special election loss in her predominantly Republican district.
This poll wasn't even conducted in New York — it was in the Atlantic coastal district previously represented by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and, before him, Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump won this district by 30 points last year. However, Fabrizio's polling indicated that the special election had boiled down to a close race between Republican state senator Randy Fine and Democrat Josh Weil, an Orlando-area teacher.
In an interview on Monday, Fine suggested that national Republicans should closely observe the results of his election because the potential competitiveness reflects the energy of Democrats.
“If you polled the district, you would find exactly the same sentiment about Donald Trump today as last November,” Fine remarked. “But what we need to take from it is the rage the Democrats feel."
Fine further added, “We have to make our people understand that Donald Trump being president does not solve all of our problems; he needs a Congress to support him.”
While Fine expressed optimism about the upcoming election, he refrained from making exact predictions about victory, saying that “a win is a win.”
This contrasts with Weil, who confidently stated his expectation of victory largely due to the concerns Musk has raised about federal programs in a district with a significant senior and veteran population.
Reflecting on his town halls, canvassing efforts, and internal polling, Weil shared that protection of entitlements and the Veterans Administration emerged as the most pressing issues in his campaign, which extends from just below St. Augustine, through Daytona Beach, and up to almost Ocala.
“Social Security showed up early on as the number one issue Republicans said they would vote for a Democrat on,” Weil noted. During a coffee break at a Daytona coffee shop, the former Bernie Sanders supporter revealed how he emphasized these issues in his campaign materials and advertisements.
As acknowledged by local and national Republican observers, Weil has run a more active campaign than Fine, who had yet to raise $1 million as of mid-March but received a late boost from an influx of outside funding. This race is one of two special congressional elections in Florida scheduled this week.
DeSantis has had disputes with Fine, who diverged from many in Tallahassee to support Trump over the governor in the 2024 primary, and Washington Republicans have expressed dissatisfaction with Fine's fundraising and light campaign schedule.
It was unclear whether Fine held public events in the final hours of the campaign, apart from tele-town halls. When I visited the campaign address listed on Fine’s website, I found myself in a UPS store located in a Daytona strip mall.
Meanwhile, Weil stated that he raised $14 million and heavily invested in digital fundraising efforts. Alongside volunteers, he took the initiative to knock on over 740,000 doors.
A small group of Weil's supporters gathered Monday morning near the iconic Daytona racetrack's grandstand in a strikingly generic commercial development.
In a demonstration of the anger generated by Trump and Musk, a collection of individuals attended the canvass launch, including two USAID workers, a former Department of Justice employee, and a Canadian-American dual citizen.
Addressing his volunteers, Weil underscored the race's national implications, characterizing it as the first “public referendum on the Trump administration.”
“What is coming out of the White House, what’s coming out of wherever DOGE is located is unacceptable,” the Democrat stated. “We cannot allow billionaires and bureaucrats to take away access to healthcare for veterans; we can’t have them tearing apart the Social Security administration.”
Charlene Smith, a local activist, explained, “We’re seeing a lot of energized Democrats who were very despondent a few months ago.”
The reason for this resurgence is clear to Smith.
“The chainsaw approach is really jarring everybody; people are losing their jobs, people are losing benefits they counted on all their lives,” she asserted. “It’s frightening; it’s really frightening.”
Max Fischer for TROIB News
However, April 1 could, and should, be Liberation Day for congressional Republicans in relation to Elon Musk.
If the Democratic-aligned nominee for the Wisconsin Supreme Court wins and the Republican candidate narrowly prevails, GOP lawmakers on the ballot next year may find themselves echoing Trump’s famous catchphrase from his entertainment career: You’re fired.
Congressional Republicans and their counterparts in state governments have limited recourse regarding Trump and his commitment to inflationary tariffs. He holds significant sway over the party, requiring them to cater to his every whim.
Nonetheless, Musk has intensified the backlash against Trump and spurred the revitalization of dissatisfied Democrats and independents reacting to the billionaire's nonchalant approach to diminishing federal government influence. If Republicans fail to urge the White House to distance itself from Musk, they risk a repeat of 2017 and 2018 when Democrats made gains during Trump’s first term, now with dual targets for the left to target.
Just look at recent political developments.
Consider the Democrats' surprising state-senate victory last week in Pennsylvania's Amish region, the overwhelming defeat of four state constitutional amendments championed by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and two deeply conservative Florida congressional special elections where Democratic candidates are projected to raise over $20 million collectively.
Additionally, there are now frequent protests at Tesla dealerships, town halls, and demonstrations featuring as many signs opposing Musk as Trump, alongside troubling episodes of vandalism directed at vehicles designed by Musk occurring nationwide.
Polling supports the notion that Musk is a liability for his party. According to a recent AP-NORC survey, Musk has lower favorability ratings than Trump among both independents and Republicans, while both figures are equally detested by Democrats.
So why is Musk, sporting a cheesehead hat, the leading figure in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race?
Two House Republicans, representing suburban districts, expressed hope that Musk would soon exit the political stage.
An "April 1st massacre" would be “a beautiful thing,” said one of these GOP lawmakers, as it would awaken congressional Republicans to the damage Musk is inflicting and empower those faces challenging races next year.
“There will be 26 or so people watching Tuesday, and they’ll decide how they want to be part of the team going forward,” the legislator said, referring to the most vulnerable GOP members.
Republican lawmakers understand the political harm Musk is causing because “the shit he puts up on the internet” regarding government spending or savings “is wrong.” Still, when it affects their districts, it resonates with both their MAGA base and local media, stirring anger among varying voter segments.
The other House Republican, who maintained a more cautious stance, asserted that the White House must declare victory and acknowledge Musk's contributions. “Elon’s work needs to wrap up, and he needs to exit stage left,” the lawmaker commented.
Of course, both Republicans were reluctant to reveal their identities due to Musk's financial influence and ownership of X.
Yet from the fear of defeat can arise courage, or at least a readiness to confide in Speaker Mike Johnson or Trump about the need to address Musk publicly.
It is evident that the president is acutely aware of the political risks facing his party. It took only one poll by his trusted surveyor, Tony Fabrizio, for Trump to withdraw Representative Elise Stefanik’s nomination as United Nations ambassador to avoid a potential special election loss in her predominantly Republican district.
This poll wasn't even conducted in New York — it was in the Atlantic coastal district previously represented by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and, before him, Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump won this district by 30 points last year. However, Fabrizio's polling indicated that the special election had boiled down to a close race between Republican state senator Randy Fine and Democrat Josh Weil, an Orlando-area teacher.
In an interview on Monday, Fine suggested that national Republicans should closely observe the results of his election because the potential competitiveness reflects the energy of Democrats.
“If you polled the district, you would find exactly the same sentiment about Donald Trump today as last November,” Fine remarked. “But what we need to take from it is the rage the Democrats feel."
Fine further added, “We have to make our people understand that Donald Trump being president does not solve all of our problems; he needs a Congress to support him.”
While Fine expressed optimism about the upcoming election, he refrained from making exact predictions about victory, saying that “a win is a win.”
This contrasts with Weil, who confidently stated his expectation of victory largely due to the concerns Musk has raised about federal programs in a district with a significant senior and veteran population.
Reflecting on his town halls, canvassing efforts, and internal polling, Weil shared that protection of entitlements and the Veterans Administration emerged as the most pressing issues in his campaign, which extends from just below St. Augustine, through Daytona Beach, and up to almost Ocala.
“Social Security showed up early on as the number one issue Republicans said they would vote for a Democrat on,” Weil noted. During a coffee break at a Daytona coffee shop, the former Bernie Sanders supporter revealed how he emphasized these issues in his campaign materials and advertisements.
As acknowledged by local and national Republican observers, Weil has run a more active campaign than Fine, who had yet to raise $1 million as of mid-March but received a late boost from an influx of outside funding. This race is one of two special congressional elections in Florida scheduled this week.
DeSantis has had disputes with Fine, who diverged from many in Tallahassee to support Trump over the governor in the 2024 primary, and Washington Republicans have expressed dissatisfaction with Fine's fundraising and light campaign schedule.
It was unclear whether Fine held public events in the final hours of the campaign, apart from tele-town halls. When I visited the campaign address listed on Fine’s website, I found myself in a UPS store located in a Daytona strip mall.
Meanwhile, Weil stated that he raised $14 million and heavily invested in digital fundraising efforts. Alongside volunteers, he took the initiative to knock on over 740,000 doors.
A small group of Weil's supporters gathered Monday morning near the iconic Daytona racetrack's grandstand in a strikingly generic commercial development.
In a demonstration of the anger generated by Trump and Musk, a collection of individuals attended the canvass launch, including two USAID workers, a former Department of Justice employee, and a Canadian-American dual citizen.
Addressing his volunteers, Weil underscored the race's national implications, characterizing it as the first “public referendum on the Trump administration.”
“What is coming out of the White House, what’s coming out of wherever DOGE is located is unacceptable,” the Democrat stated. “We cannot allow billionaires and bureaucrats to take away access to healthcare for veterans; we can’t have them tearing apart the Social Security administration.”
Charlene Smith, a local activist, explained, “We’re seeing a lot of energized Democrats who were very despondent a few months ago.”
The reason for this resurgence is clear to Smith.
“The chainsaw approach is really jarring everybody; people are losing their jobs, people are losing benefits they counted on all their lives,” she asserted. “It’s frightening; it’s really frightening.”
Max Fischer for TROIB News
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