Cowed Republican Senators Now Worried About Primary Challenges Backed By Trump OR Musk

There is new reporting in The Hill today that suggests that the threat of primary challengers against Senate and House Republicans who don’t keep their heads down amid Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s assault on the federal government is very much alive and well — and that the threat is acutely felt by the senators themselves.

Musk has been using his unmatched-on-this-planet wealth to intimidate anyone who gets in the way of Trump’s agenda since at least November, when he said his political action committee would “play a significant role in primaries” in 2026.

After the disgraced former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) pulled himself from the running to be Trump’s attorney general when enough Senate Republicans made it clear they could not stomach voting to confirm him, Musk and other MAGA cronies on the internet became more explicit about the political price they would extract from anyone who tried to thwart the Trump agenda.

The bullying campaigns took various forms: Charlie Kirk and similar types singled out Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) online, threatening to fund a challenger against her when she expressed hesitation about voting to confirm now-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (She ultimately voted to confirm him.) Musk also warned back in December that he was creating a “naughty list” of House Republicans who did anything to muck up the effort to get Mike Johnson (R-LA) reelected as speaker. (Despite speculation about a potential rerun of 2023’s marathon speaker-selection sessions, Johnson was elected on the first vote.)

The Hill published a report today in which three unnamed Republican senators detail the extent to which they understand not just Trump but Musk to be keeping their colleagues in line. The White House, one said, has made the threat clear in less than “subtle” terms.

Per The Hill:

“That’s one of the reasons why you see people who are close to an election — Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis — voting for certain nominees,” said one Republican senator who requested anonymity to discuss the recent votes of GOP colleagues, including Louisiana’s Cassidy and North Carolina’s Tillis.

“The White House hasn’t been too subtle about that. I think they’ve been fairly threatening,” the lawmaker added, noting Cassidy already faces a primary challenge from Louisiana state Treasurer John Fleming.

While in the past Republicans who wanted to show they had a spine have faced the political repercussions of Trump’s wrath — and sometimes lost to Trump-backed MAGA challengers in the primaries — Musk and his wealth present a new, second mode of political intimidation. More from The Hill:

A third Republican senator said even if Trump stays neutral in a Senate GOP primary, there’s growing concern among colleagues that ultrawealthy donors and grassroots activists could mount formidable primary challenges to punish perceived disloyalty.

“Him staying out of a race doesn’t mean his following would, and they have significant capabilities,” the lawmaker said, adding that Musk’s wealth makes primary threats “a bigger deal.”