In the wake of 2028’s stunning upsets in Texas, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis took to X to call on Elon Musk to move his numerous companies based in Texas to Florida. DeSantis responded to an X user suggestion with a simple: “LFG!”
LFG! Can he do a large Tesla SUV while he’s at it?
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 4, 2026
There are a couple things to note here.
First, Elon Musk isn’t the most popular guy in America last night (just a 37% favorable rating, according to Decision Desk), and his massive spend of $446 million on the midterms showed the limits of his political power. Yes, he has X. Yes, he has influencers. But the ones who decided the election last night? The working class? Hispanics? That’s not Elon Musk’s base. Additionally, Musk is associated with data centers and AI, which is deeply unpopular, according to a recent U Mass poll.
So DeSantis sending a welcoming text to Elon wouldn’t seem the best immediate thing to do.
But…
For whatever his shortcomings in a general election, every Republican candidate would want to get the nod of Elon Musk in a 2028 presidential primary. He has a massive platform, scores of admirers, influence with the base, and again, lots and lots of money.
He will have a say in the race – with his tweets and his money. A big say.
There’s this too.
DeSantis is one of the only winners for the Republican party last night. On Stephen Smith’s show, he had considerable criticism for ways in which the Trump Administration had lost its way with voters, including calling the Iran War a “big, big drag” on the GOP. That was BEFORE the election results. So he showed some prescience there.
Additionally, DeSantis wasn’t on the ballot, so he didn’t have to face the landscape, his Republican replacement (Byron Donalds) barely squeaked by in Florida’s governor race, DeSantis isn’t in the Trump Administration, and was the most credible challenger to Trump in 2028 for the base.
Also there’s this. After last night, DeSantis saw a massive jump in his Kalshi odds to become the GOP nominee – skyrocketing 14 pts, while JD Vance shed 8, and Rubio 1. This puts DeSantis suddenly at 19 cents – unbelievably close to Vance’s 27%. More on this later, but DeSantis is the guy who’s the immediate. obvious winner from last night.
