Musk PAC lawyer Gober runs in Texas district housing Tesla-SpaceX AI chip plant

The district also cuts through Pflugerville, where Musk’s tunneling venture, The Boring Co., has offices. Gober has not made his work for Musk a central theme of the campaign, according to CNBC, while his Democratic opponent, Caitlin Rourk, has attacked him over it.

In a new ad, Rourk says: “Elon Musk already had MAGA extremist Chris Gober as his lawyer. Now he wants him in Congress,” adding, “It’s clear who Chris Gober would serve in Congress, and it’s not us.” Gober’s campaign website touts an endorsement from President Donald Trump and says he will be “standing strong for President Trump and delivering his America First Agenda” if elected. As of Tuesday, neither Musk’s name nor America PAC appeared on the site, CNBC reported.

Gober told CNBC in an email from campaign manager Zach Gregory that his work with America PAC “has been widely reported and is no secret.” He said he had discussed it during the campaign as one of “the many examples of taking on the toughest fights at the highest levels.” He said Musk and America PAC are not mentioned on his site because it was updated in the final weeks “to focus on the priorities I’m running to deliver for the people of Texas’s 10th Congressional District.”

SpaceX’s political action committee donated $10,000 to Gober’s campaign this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings cited by Axios. SpaceX has expanded aggressively into AI in 2026; the segment has become the company’s largest business unit, with third-quarter revenue rising ninefold to $7.56 billion from $813 million a year earlier, according to its Oct. 20 earnings update.

Gober’s campaign website deleted a section titled “Ensuring America’s AI Dominance,” Axios reported Monday, amid opposition to data centers used for AI. Gober told CNBC the removal did not reflect a shift in his position. “I believe Texas should lead the country in AI and innovation, and that growth has to work for the communities that make it possible,” he said, adding that this means “protecting our water and power supply, building the infrastructure to support it, and making sure rural communities share in the benefits.”

Rourk criticized Gober’s ties to the AI industry and Musk, saying “There’s just so much to his background that is really concerning.” Rourk, a U.S. Army veteran and former Dell Technologies employee, told CNBC that Gober was “trying to bury his head in the sand, and just kind of wait until Election Day, hope that people won’t notice.” She said that if he wins a seat in Congress, “he can sit there for the next 10, 20, 30 years where he is going to vote to tether taxpayer dollars in defense to SpaceX, in transportation to Tesla and vote against anything like a subpoena of Elon Musk.” CNBC reported that the remark alluded to bipartisan worries over SpaceX’s dealings in Ukraine and Democrats’ calls to investigate Musk over his Department of Government Efficiency work slashing the federal workforce.

Attacks over AI go both ways in the campaigns. Gober’s campaign, in a YouTube ad and in an email to CNBC, claimed Rourk makes a majority of her household income from investments in data centers. Rourk called that accusation laughable. She said she owns some Dell stock acquired through employee equity grants when she worked there from 2021 to 2025, that the shares are not a source of household income, and that she would sell them if elected to Congress. She said her focus if elected would include “ending forever wars including President Trump’s reckless war in Iran” and “fighting special interests.”

Asked about Rourk’s accusation that he would work for Musk more than the people of Texas, Gober told CNBC, “I will make decisions based on what is best for my constituents. Period.” He said, “I’m proud of my career and I’m not going to hide from it. I’ve worked at the highest levels of politics and public policy, and I intend to turn that experience into an asset for the people of Texas’s 10th Congressional District.” Musk did not respond to an email seeking comment, CNBC reported.

CNBC reported that Gober’s law firm, Lex Politica, is representing Musk and America PAC in two would-be class-action lawsuits in Austin federal court that alleged Musk and the PAC defrauded people in swing states.