Elon Musk’s enthusiastic dive into politics has taken some new turns recently. Musk has pledged to unseat Republicans who voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in primary challenges. He is also set to start a new, centrist “America Party.” Republicans ought to worry more about the latter concern than the former but should not be particularly scared about either.
Musk will learn how hard it is to defeat incumbent members of Congress should he go through with his primary pledge. Only four incumbents lost primaries in 2024: two members of the so-called “Squad” who lost to less extreme progressive Democrats, and two Republicans. One was a victim of redistricting, which placed him in the same seat as another incumbent, while the other, Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, lost to a Trump-backed state senator. In short, all four were punished for being out of step with party elites or the mainstream of their party.
