Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s step back from the inner workings of President Donald Trump’s administration hasn’t stopped him from using his wealth to influence the November midterm elections.
New Federal Election Commission filings show Musk, the world’s richest man, boosting Republican super PACs and candidates with millions of dollars against a Democratic Party itching to flip the House and Senate.
In some cases, Musk’s massive wealth is bankrolling vulnerable Republican candidates who have been vastly outraised by their Democratic competitors.
Here’s how Musk has dished out $276 million in the final months before Election Day.
Musk indirectly pours millions into Ken Paxton’s Senate bid
Musk gave the Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), $158 million in September, according to FEC reports. That represented nearly 58% of the $273 million the SLF brought in during the third quarter.
In the same month, SLF sent $75 million to a newly formed Texas political action committee boosting GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton. Two weeks later, on Sept. 23, Musk gave $83 million to the SLF, which was also sent to the Texas PAC.
State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Texas’s open Senate seat, raised $64 million in the third quarter, trouncing the $18 million that Paxton and affiliated groups raised in the same time period. Musk also gave $10 million to the Lone Star Liberty PAC in the third quarter, which is backing Paxton’s race.
But with Musk’s money, the SLF has been able to dominate TV, radio, and digital advertising in the Lone Star State. Texas’s attorney general is still trailing Talarico by around 2 percentage points, 48.2% to 46%, according to a RealClearPolitics poll average.
The Senate race is likely to be the most expensive Senate battle in history.
House GOP gets in on the action
Not to be left out, the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), raked in $20 million from Musk in the third quarter. In total, it raised $94.4 million and started October with $155.2 million cash on hand.
America PAC, the Musk super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 presidential election, received an $88 million infusion from the Tesla co-founder. The group has spent much of that money turning out inconsistent voters in seven Senate battlegrounds and nearly three dozen House races.
Senate Democratic candidates vastly outraised their Republican competitors in July through September, but the GOP, aided in part by Musk’s money, remains competitive enough nationwide.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR ABOUT THE FINAL FUNDRAISING QUARTER BEFORE THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Similarly, in 2024, Trump was outraised by former Vice President Kamala Harris, but Musk’s coffers helped Trump decisively defeat Harris in all seven battleground states.
In early September, it was revealed that America PAC spent roughly $250,000 touting Paxton through mailers, signs, and flyers in Texas. It was part of the $800,000 bid to boost Republican House and Senate candidates across the nation.