Democrats ’ light focus on the risk of Elon Musk to the lives of common people is producing the desired unhappy effect with voters, but strategists say the strategy may include a short shelf life ahead of the 2026 congressional elections.
Since Republicans took control of the White House and both houses of Congress, Political leaders have centered their communication strategies on attacking Musk and his Department of Government Performance for what they say is an overreach of power — so much so that they often ignore the stream of comments and actions by President Donald Trump over the first few months of his president.
“So the longer [ Musk ] remains in the public eye as a force, the more that gets reinforced, ” Reinish added.
With much political power in the federal government, House Democrats are counting on the indignation from components and new win against Musk-backed individuals to be enough to turn the House in 2026.
But some strategists warn that putting all their eggs in one basket and making Musk the sole focus of their 2026 messaging could backfire if the businessman-turned-Trump adviser ends up disappearing from political prominence.
“Democrats have not shown themselves very adept in grabbing for high-hanging fruit, ” Reinish said. “So Elon Musk still remains the lower-hanging fruit. ”
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said he believes Musk is a “handy accessory ” and will be the first “high-profile casualty of the second Trump presidency. ” But in that case, bashing the DOGE leader is “not going to work in the long run. ”
“ He’s a handy target for Democrats because he’s very unpopular with swing voters in the Democratic base, and so I think Democrats should use and abuse him while we still can because I don’t think he’ll be around there long, ” Bannon told the Washington Examiner.
Democratic senators and members of Congress spent this week holding a “day of action ” for Medicaid and Social Security across the country, with several holding town halls in Republican districts due to the lack of an in-person meeting with the GOP representative. The beneficiary programs, Democrats say, are threatened by Musk, an “unelected billionaire, ” and the GOP budget plan that calls for trillions in spending cuts.
“ Unfortunately, Republicans continue to engage in cult like behavior as it relates to their failure to push back against the extreme things that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are trying to jam down the throats of the American people, ” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY ) said during a press call on Tuesday, one of the Democrats ’ days of action for Social Security.
“We don’t work for Donald Trump or Elon Musk, but Republicans in the House and Senate don’t seem to have gotten that constitutional memo, ” Jeffries added.
Republicans also have growing anxieties about just how influential Musk can be. As the top donor in the 2024 elections, the Tesla mogul has promised to fund primary campaigns against GOP lawmakers whom he believes do not support Trump’s agenda. He’s also said he’s willing to back moderate challengers to longtime Democratic incumbents.
Musk also suffered a significant blow after the liberal candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race won, defeating the conservative candidate into whose campaign Musk and his America PAC poured significant funds.
“That was a referendum on Elon Musk and the right lost that conversation, ” Reinish said.
Public support for Musk is also dwindling. A February poll from Hart Research found 54 % of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Musk, including 40 % who are very unfavorable. Independent voters also have a negative opinion of the DOGE founder, with 62 % worried that he has too much influence.
Bannon said this gives Democrats an opening for campaign messaging, as it ’s not just the progressive base that is concerned with Musk overstepping his authority. But, he said, the objective should not be to just dismantle Musk in the eyes of voters — it should be to ultimately dismantle Trump.
“We should attack Musk as not an independent entity, but as one of Donald Trump’s destructive tools, ” Bannon said.
Trump said in early April that Musk would likely leave the administration in “a few months. ” The president said “Elon is fantastic” but he has “a number of companies to run. ” DOGE was originally intended to operate until July 4, 2026, but Musk took a step back as its leader shortly after Trump took office, following uproars over him being too close to private citizens ’ data without being elected.
“ I want him to stay as long as possible, ” Trump told reporters. “There’s going to be a point where he’s going to have to leave. ”
Trump, who is known for explosively parting ways with his former top advisers, threw cold water on any speculation that Musk’s departure would be on bad terms.
“Number one, I like him, number two, he’s doing a great job, number three, he is a patriot. That’s why he’s doing this, ” the president said.
Democrats have been capitalizing on anger toward Musk that has spilled into red and blue districts— but they are not protected from criticism, either.
At recent town halls, constituents have attacked their Democratic and Republican representatives for not standing up and making a change to the “status quo, ” particularly in states affected by federal layoffs or with communities depending heavily on Medicaid and Social Security.
Republican lawmakers have been accused of caving to Trump and Musk, while Democrats have been criticized for not doing enough to push back against the GOP agenda.
Some progressive Democrats have n’t experienced an ebb in the consistent anger toward Musk and Trump at town halls in their district. One House Democrat told the Washington Examiner that their town hall was “totally packed ” with standing room only.
“Everyone [was ] very concerned about cuts to Medicaid and cuts to the Social Security workforce, ” the lawmaker said. “Lots of people [are ] very concerned about the Trump administration not following the law or the Constitution. ”
But Republican strategist Doug Heye told the Washington Examiner that though Democrats can target Musk as an “outsized personality, ” he’s “not certain” the messaging works across the board. Despite Democratic efforts, he said, most voters ’ views of Musk are not centered on the federal government.
“ I think a lot of people forget that Elon Musk is viewed to a lot of Americans as a guy who sends up rockets that land exactly where they took off and then has created these amazing cars, ” Heye said. “That’s how they view him first and foremost. They’re not necessarily thinking about what his interests or activities might be at the Department of Agriculture. ”
Realistically, it ’s next to impossible to determine 19 months ahead of the 2026 elections whether Musk is going to be a driving factor for Democratic success. A key test will come in Virginia with the 2025 gubernatorial race, Heye said, as it ’s the first major political leadership contest after the GOP’s victories in 2024.
“Obviously, Virginia would feel any federal government layoffs more acutely than anywhere else, but I think anybody would be hard pressed at this point to pinpoint the race where Elon Musk is going to be what turns the tide, ” Heye said.
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Heye added that for Republicans, Musk does n’t “have to be and should n’t be a part of their vocabulary. ” Democrats can use him as a “boogeyman, ” he said, but they lack the knowledge to pinpoint where that will ultimately be successful in the midterm elections.
“Democrats are going to tell you, ‘Oh yeah, Elon Musk is an absolute anchor. He’s going to sink Republicans. He’s going to do all these things that are going to propel us into victory. ’ OK, can they identify which House and Senate races they’re going to do that in? Is that going to make the difference in North Carolina? I think that ’s a tough argument to make in April of the off-year, ” Heye said.
