Elon Musk's PAC lawyer eyes Texas congressional seat

• Gober has ties to a data center project in rural New Mexico and is being supported by a political action committee that opposes AI restrictions — two political flash points in this election.

Catch up quick: Gober led Musk's America PAC as its director and chief lawyer, directing the spending of more than $260 million in 2024 to return Trump back to the White House.

• A former top Republican Party lawyer who now heads a firm that represents conservatives — Lex Politica — Gober has leaned hard into his Musk and Trump connections in the race to represent the 10th Congressional District.

What they're saying: Gober's top priority, per his website, is "standing strong for President Trump" and "stop the weaponization of government by radical Democrats against conservatives, President Trump, and America First patriots."

• Gober did not respond to an Axios interview request.

State of play: After 11 terms representing the 10th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin) is not running for reelection.

• A Texas A&M and Harvard Law graduate, he represented Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the State Bar of Texas inquiry over allegations that Paxton's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election amounted to professional misconduct.
• Gober faces Democrat Caitlin Rourk, an Army veteran and former communications specialist for Dell Technologies who studied political science at the University of Chicago and has an MBA from the University of Texas.

Between the lines: Gober couches his support for data centers as a way to compete with China.

• "While we must win the global AI race, it is critical that we preserve our rural character and invest in infrastructure that benefits — not burdens — our local communities," per his campaign website.

The intrigue: American Mission, a political action committee backed by a major super PAC that has criticized potential state regulations for artificial intelligence — spent about $750,000 in December and January to support Gober, per federal campaign filings.

• Meanwhile, the law firm Gober heads has represented an organization tied to an extensive advertising campaign in support of a contested New Mexico data center, per reporting by Searchlight New Mexico.
• In the same vein, American Mission cut an ad saying that if elected, Gober would be "promoting American technology investment here in Texas so we can defeat China and protect American jobs."

Yes, but: Data centers could be an Achilles heel for Republicans who rely on votes in rural areas where data centers are unpopular over their use of energy and water.

• Republicans are "going to lose some elections in the midterms because of this one subject," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told the Texas Tribune earlier this month.

Zoom in: Musk's planned TeraFab chip building project, which could create thousands of jobs, is slated for Grimes County, which sits in the 10th Congressional District.

• But some Grimes County residents, concerned about its impact on water and roads, are resisting the project.
• Musk did not respond to an interview request.

The other side: On the campaign trail, Rourk has been trying to tie Gober to Musk.

• "It's real hard to imagine that someone so heavily influenced" by data center and AI interests "as having a clear and objective approach to them in Washington," she says of Gober, in an interview with Axios.

By the numbers: Caitlin Rourk for Congress finished the most recent reporting period, ending June 30, with $92,000 on hand, per campaign finance filings.

• Chris Gober for Texas finished with $120,000 on hand — and the candidate has loaned his campaign $750,000.

Reality check: It's a Republican-heavy district.

• Democrats cast 53,793 votes in a three-way March primary; 32,716 for Rourk.
• Republicans cast 75,204 votes in that election; Gober won 38,541, besting nine other candidates.