Elon Musk recently said that a special election in Texas this year was the “first time I ever voted Republican.” But his political evolution, according to a Yahoo Finance review, isn't quite so simple.

The Tesla (TSLA) CEO's political views and allegiances have moved back and forth across the political spectrum in seemingly haphazard ways many, many times over the years.

While 2022 may be the first time Musk says he marked his ballot for a Republican, he recorded his first federal political donation back in 2003. That $2,000 check went to Republican George W. Bush, according to Federal Election Commission records.

In the intervening years, Musk has signaled support for a dizzying array of figures ranging from Barack Obama to Marco Rubio to Andrew Yang to Margaret Thatcher to even Kanye West. Musk’s history suggests that while he may have currently allied himself with Republicans, that could change again in a hurry.

It’s a point underscored by Musk himself in recent days when — even as he allies with the GOP — he is feuding with Donald Trump and recently asked the former president to “hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.”

Musk is also of course gearing up for a court fight with Twitter (TWTR) as the social media company prepares to go to a Delaware court to force Musk to stick to his agreement to buy it for $44 billion. Musk's political leanings have become a flashpoint in the saga, especially after Musk suggested he might let Trump reinstate his account if the deal went through.

‘Half Republican, half Democrat, if you will’

Musk's 2003 check to Bush came after a few donations to local politicians in California who represented both parties. As the SpaceX CEO became more interested in national politics, he was soon taking the same approach. In 2004 he sent along some money to John Kerry, Bush’s opponent.

It was also in 2004 that Musk become involved with Tesla, rising to become the electric car-maker’s CEO and a prominent face for clean energy.

Musk's political positions have belied any easy categorization. At various points over the years, Musk has called himself a socialist (jokingly, he says), while he also says that he opposes government subsidies (after his company benefited handsomely from them). In 2020, he waded into social issues by tweeting that “pronouns suck,” which his then-partner said represented “hate.”

Perhaps the only constant over the years is Musk’s desire not to ally himself permanently with any political ideology. He described himself as "half Republican, half Democrat, if you will" in 2014 and. In 2021 he claimed "I would prefer to stay out of politics," especially when it came to hot-button social issues.