Earlier this year, Garza called the group a “sham organization” and claimed it was operating illegally.
AUSTIN, Texas — A new report details how Texas billionaire Elon Musk secretly spent thousands of dollars to try to influence a local political election.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk spent $650,000 to block Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza’s reelection.
According to the report, Musk’s main funding during the March primary went to the Save Austin PAC, which distributed fliers depicting a bloody teddy bear and claiming that Garza was “filling the city with pedophiles and murderers.”
The flier led social media users to wonder if Garza’s opponent, Jeremy Silestin, had paid for the raid, a possibility that Silestin quickly denied at the time. Despite the ad, Garza went on to win the primary by more than 30 points.
Saving Austin appears to be backed by a North Texas-based group that is not registered with the state, according to state databases. The Wall Street Journal reported that the group is primarily funded by Musk, citing people with knowledge of Musk’s involvement as well as federal and corporate documents.
Musk has not responded to the report, but Garza’s campaign has.
Garza responds to Musk reports
Garza filed a cease and desist order against Saving Austin earlier this year, calling the group a “sham organization” and alleging it was operating illegally, including by running large campaigns and failing to disclose expenses.
On Friday, Garza’s campaign released the following statement regarding the reports about Musk:
“Elon Musk marches in lockstep with MAGA Republicans. Donald Trump and his band of MAGA billionaires believe the rules don’t apply to them, but this is a democracy. They tried to buy a Travis County election with dark money dummy games and sickening scare tactics, but the voters spoke and the billionaires lost.”
The nation should take note. MAGA billionaires are treating Texas like a breeding ground for extremist policies, exporting their anti-public safety, job-destroying, anti-freedom policies to all 50 states. How Texas moves, so does the nation. And we have shown that these extremists can be defeated.
“Elon Musk and Ted Cruz may think Texans are stupid, but people know their neighborhoods, they know what they want from their government, and they know who works for them. That’s why they’ve entrusted me with another opportunity to run for the Democratic nomination for District Attorney and build on the progress we’ve made to keep our communities safe, treat survivors with dignity and respect, and protect everyone’s right to safety and justice.”
Garza will also face Republican candidate Daniel Betts this fall.
