Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday endorsed Rick Caruso, a former Republican turned Democrat, for Los Angeles mayor.
Driving the news: Musk, who called Caruso "awesome," said that it is "rare" for him to make political endorsements.
What he's saying: "Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. He's awesome," Musk said in a tweet.
- "My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans," he added.
- "Executive competence is super underrated in politics — we should care about that a lot more!"
Peter Ragone, a spokesperson for Caruso's campaign, said in a statement to Axios, "[n]o other candidate in the race has the breadth of support that Rick has earned — we have a coalition of labor unions, business leaders, legendary civil rights activists like Sweet Alice and artists like Snoop."
The big picture: While Los Angeles has always remained a top Democratic power center, with crime up and homelessness increasing, voters might be willing to embrace Caruso — a longtime businessman and a former Republican, Axios' Hans Nichols reports.
- Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who was on President Biden’s shortlist of running mates in 2020, is Caruso's biggest competitor.
- Her campaign has spent around $1 million in television ads likening Caruso to former President Trump, an approach some strategists say has not been effective.
- Some observers expect the race to advance to a runoff.
What's next: The election will take place on Nov. 8.
Go deeper: Why L.A. mayor’s race matters
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Caruso's campaign.