Elon Musk Just Dumped Another $76M into the Midterms

Elon Musk contributed more than $76 million to his America PAC during the first two weeks of October, as the group intensified its Republican campaign spending ahead of the midterms. It spent nearly $43 million during that period and had about $47 million left. The Texas Senate contest was its largest focus: America PAC spent $15.2 million there, including $12.4 million opposing Democrat James Talarico and $2.8 million supporting Republican Ken Paxton. Later filings added $9.1 million in anti-Talarico spending, bringing the total against him to nearly $28 million. The PAC also put $11.4 million into digital advertising. Musk has given Republican political groups more than $445 million this election cycle, including over $165 million to America PAC since July.

Musk has publicly attacked Talarico on X, including repeating an unsupported claim about the candidate’s position on transgender care. A recent poll put Talarico ahead of Paxton by two points, within the margin of error, leaving the race competitive. Musk’s political influence also carries potential consequences beyond the election: Democratic leaders have said they would investigate his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, federal contracts awarded to his companies, and possible conflicts of interest if they win the House. Several Democratic representatives have separately called for scrutiny of federal support for Musk’s Starshield satellite service in Ukraine and his companies’ government funding.