Austin plays presidential politics power broker role
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Elon Musk at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in October. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Austin is once again a power broker in conservative presidential politics — and some of its denizens promise to play an important role in a potential new Trump administration.
Why it matters: In this election cycle, Austin emerged as a presidential pit stop.
- Austin residents have played key roles in Washington before, but that was when Texan presidents — most recently George W. Bush — brought those advisers with them to the White House.
Between the lines: The world's richest person, who has built a compound in Austin for his 11 children and their mothers, has poured tens of millions of dollars into the race — and stands to be a key member of a new administration.
- Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump after the assassination attempt on the former president in July, and Trump has dangled the possibility of Musk heading a government committee to slash regulations if reelected.
- Austin-based podcaster Joe Rogan was a must-stop for Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, as they sought to woo young men to the ballot box.
By the numbers: Musk has now given at least $110 million to the pro-Trump America PAC, which operates out of Austin.
- Austin venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale helped establish the PAC and has donated millions of dollars to conservative-minded think tanks.
The intrigue: Key former Austin figures — Kevin Roberts and Brooke Rollins, formerly CEOs of the Texas Public Policy Foundation — are poised to play roles advising Trump should he become president.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who previously served as the national co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, has long had a special relationship with the former president, famously filing a Hail Mary lawsuit supporting him in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Meanwhile: John Cornyn, who votes in Travis County, could very well be the next Senate majority leader.
Flashback: Former Austin residents George W. Bush and Rick Perry ran for president earlier this century (in Bush's case winning twice), and Perry served as energy secretary under Trump, though he had long left Austin by then.
- Austin-based conspiracy theorist Alex Jones had outsized influence on Trump during his first term.
What's next: Election Day is Tuesday.
- The latest polls have Trump winning Texas by anywhere from 4 to 11 points.
The bottom line: Even as neighborhoods in much of Austin are papered with Harris-Walz campaign yard signs, Austin-Washington ties stand to grow even stronger should Trump win back the White House.