Elon Musk urges independent voters to back Republicans in midterms

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Billionaire Elon Musk appealed directly to independent voters on Monday, urging them to vote for Republicans during this week's midterm election.

Musk, in a post on his personal Twitter account, said that with Democrats in control of the White House, voters would mitigate "the worst excesses of both parties" by ensuring Republican control of Congress.

"To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," he said.

This year, 35 seats in the Senate are up for grabs, as well as all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Most analysts agree that Republican will gain control of the House, though who will lay claim to the currently evenly-split Senate remains a topic of much speculation. Key races in 10 states, including Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, will likely prove decisive.