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By Andrew Stanton
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Elon Musk floated a proposal for how his new political party could build power in Congress in upcoming elections.
Newsweek reached out to Musk for comment via the Tesla press email.
Why It Matters
Musk left the Trump administration in May and has since proposed creating a new political party called the "America Party" amid his feud with President Donald Trump over the "Big Beautiful Bill," which Congress voted to pass on Thursday.
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Third parties have struggled to break through in the United States, where the Democratic and Republican parties have for decades held a lock on Washington—despite frustration with both parties among many Americans. But Musk, the world's wealthiest person, has considerable funds to support a new party if he chooses to do so.
What to Know
Musk on Friday took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to suggest how the America Party could build power and hold considerable sway in Congress.
The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, is the "perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!" Musk wrote.
The new party could "laser-focus" on two or three seats in the Senate and eight to 10 seats in the House of Representatives to build enough power to play a key role in determining which legislation makes it through, Musk wrote.
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"Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people," he wrote.
His comments come after a new poll found that 40 percent of voters say they would consider backing his party. The Quantus Insights poll of 1,000 registered voters from June 30 to July 2 found that 40 percent of voters, including many Republicans, would consider supporting the party.
Why Third Parties Struggle in the U.S. — Political Expert
Grant Davis Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, told Newsweek there are "several structural hurdles to creating and maintaining a viable third party."
"The most significant is that with some exceptions at the local levels, our legislatures and executive elections use geographically defined districts that are represented by one person, who is elected by finishing first in the field, regardless of the size of the plurality.," he said. "We also replicate that system for president through the Electoral College, and the practice of the states, except for Nebraska and Maine, to award all their electoral votes to the candidate finishing first, regardless of the size of their plurality."
This means that parties that can't compete to finish first have "little to offer their voters" and "have a hard time sustaining themselves, even after they are created," he said.
People's range of political opinions in the U.S. tends to be narrower than in other countries, so it's harder for another party to break through, according to Reeher.
"We have tended to have a broad consensus that argues over two different flavors of similar things," he said. "No one is really arguing for the elimination of Medicare or Social Security, for instance, and no one is arguing for genuine socialism (though the latter may be changing). What would a middle party be based on, policy-wise?"
It's more likely that the two main parties will work on figuring out better ways to appeal to the middle, Reeher said.
What People Are Saying
Quantus Insights wrote in a blog post: "The signal is clear: a large slice of the electorate is open to something new, something disruptive. This is not about Musk. It's about the growing sense that the existing order is failing to represent the country as it truly is, or wants to be."
Musk wrote in June: "If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE."
Political Scientist Larry Sabato told CNN: "Well, certainly it's possible, particularly for the world's richest person. However, it is very difficult to do. I don't think Elon Musk has really looked into the procedures of creating a political party. Those of us who study such things for decades know that you have to be willing to spend an enormous amount of time and money, do careful planning. Will Elon Musk really stick with it?"
What Happens Next
Polymarket betting odds currently have a 45 percent chance that Musk will create his new party by December 31 and a 39 percent chance that he will establish the party by the end of the month.
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