Elon Musk is building relationships with Texas Republicans, and the establishment press wants you to believe that's a threat — while Democrats are quietly amassing a double-digit early voting advantage that could actually reshape the midterms.
WIRED's headline does the quiet part out loud: "Elon Musk's Ties to Texas Republicans Go Much Deeper Than the Midterms." The phrase "go much deeper" is built to imply something hidden, something sinister — not a private citizen exercising his First Amendment right to political association. The framing is unmistakable: when an outsider builds political relationships, the press treats it as a shadow operation.
Meanwhile, the data that could actually determine control of Congress gets second billing. According to a CNN analysis cited by the International Business Times, Democrats hold a 14-point lead in early voting turnout across 25 states ahead of the midterms — more than double their six-point advantage at the same point in 2024. Among low-propensity voters — people who voted in only one of the last two elections or sat out entirely — the Democratic advantage swells to 18 points.
In Kansas, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is challenging Republican incumbent Roger Marshall in a tight Senate race, Democrats hold a 26-point lead in early voting among voters who skipped both 2022 and 2024. A CNN/SSRS poll shows Hamilton with a four-point lead overall.
Gallup confirms the enthusiasm gap: 58 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they are enthusiastic about the upcoming election, compared to 48 percent of Republicans. The only time Democrats were more motivated was 2018. Fifty-four percent of Democratic registered voters plan to vote early, versus 38 percent of Republicans. Republicans still lead by 8 points among those planning to vote in person on Election Day — but that's the story the press isn't leading with.
The institutional media wants Americans focused on Musk's political activity — constitutionally protected conduct available to every citizen — rather than on the structural shifts in ballot mechanics that could lock in partisan advantage before Election Day even arrives. WIRED frames a citizen's political engagement as infiltration. The real question is why the press corps finds ordinary Americans participating in democracy so threatening — and whose interests that framing serves.
Musk is doing what the Founders protected: associating, speaking, engaging. The press is doing what it always does: protecting the people already in power.
