Democratic Senator-elect James Talarico has sent a strong message to billionaire Elon Musk after defeating his preferred candidate in Texas, declaring that the state is not for sale despite more than $150 million being spent to prevent his victory.
Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in Tuesday’s (November 3) midterm elections, becoming the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat from Texas since 1988.
Speaking to CBS News on Wednesday, Talarico said the election results showed that even the world’s wealthiest individuals could not simply buy political influence.
“The people of Texas delivered a crystal-clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale,” he said.
The remarks were aimed at Musk, who contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in September. The Republican-aligned political group subsequently transferred the money to a committee supporting Paxton’s campaign.
Musk’s trust also donated another $10 million to a separate political committee working to elect Paxton.
Talarico accused the Tesla CEO of attempting to secure political influence over Texas, particularly over land, water and resources needed for his expanding data centre operations.
He alleged that Musk wanted a senator who would serve his business interests, although the billionaire has not publicly acknowledged any such arrangement.
Meanwhile, Musk reacted sarcastically to the Republican defeats on X, writing: “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time.”
He also posted that space-based data centres were looking increasingly attractive.
The Texas result was part of a broader Democratic victory that saw Gina Hinojosa defeat Republican Governor Greg Abbott, ending more than three decades of Republican control of the state’s governorship.
