What we know about Chris Young, the Republican operative hired by Elon Musk
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
- Elon Musk has hired a seasoned Republican operative to guide his political contributions.
- Chris Young is a longtime GOP advisor who specializes in field organizing.
- The move suggests that Musk, once apolitical, plans to become even more involved in the election.
Elon Musk has hired a powerful Republican operative as a political guide, suggesting the billionaire tech founder intends to become even more entrenched in the 2024 election, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Musk has tapped Chris Young, a GOP advisor specializing in field operations and get-out-the-vote efforts, to help guide his increasing political involvement and strategically utilize his $240 billion fortune, according to the outlet.
Neither Young nor Musk immediately responded to Business Insider's request for comment.
Young's expertise in field organizing makes him a desirable power player for Musk, who has become similarly focused on mobilizing voters in recent months. The Tesla and SpaceX founder recently suggested voter mobilization is more important than online advertising.
The new hire comes as Musk's super PAC, the America PAC, restarts its field program ahead of November. Young is expected to play a key role at the PAC, which is re-focusing on Republican voter turnout following a rocky start, The Times reported.
Young has been a staple in GOP politics for more than a decade. In 2011, he worked as a field operator for Gov. Bobby Jindal in his home state of Louisiana before serving as a coordinator for the Republican National Committee in Nevada the next year, Nola.com reported. In 2014, he was appointed the GOP's first state director for Louisiana, where he focused on field operations.
Young ascended the ladder of Republican politics, eventually becoming a field operator for the RNC during the 2016 election cycle, The Times reported. He also had a stint leading Engage Texas, a nonprofit focused on voter registration that is funded by Republican donors, according to the outlet.
Most recently, Young served as a senior political official at PhRMA, the trade association representing the pharmaceutical industry that advocates on behalf of companies like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
During the RNC earlier this year, Young attended a dinner for GOP elites, including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump Jr., Punchbowl News reported.
Donor advisors like Young play an important role in politics: they both guard and guide money. Typically, the extraordinarily wealthy hire them to help direct long-term political donations and plans.
With the new hire, Musk, who insisted in 2015 that he gets "involved in politics as little as possible," is further cementing himself in the political orbit and exacerbating the tech world's partisan fissure.
Now guided by a seasoned operative rather than his own whims, Musk may be more easily able to ingratiate himself with the mainstream political orbit he once rejected.