Elon Musk has spent almost half a billion dollars on elections in the 2026 cycle, making him one of the Republican Party's biggest donors ever and the wealthiest reported donor in contemporary American politics.
The richest man in the world has given more than $445 million to federal committees alone through mid-October. This is more than twice as much as Democratic megadonor George Soros gave to outside organizations during the 2022 cycle, making him the largest known individual donor in the most recent congressional midterm elections.
According to Brendan Glavin, who is in charge of research at the charity OpenSecrets, Musk's funds may "single-handedly" change the outcome of the midterm elections. The organization monitors political expenditures.
He declared, "One individual is totally controlling and altering the landscape of how Republicans are able to spend money and defend themselves."
The super PAC at the core of Musk's political organization, America PAC, has received approximately $216 million from his contributions. According to federal campaign data, the group is involved in over 40 House and Senate elections this autumn.
However, the billionaire has spent more money in Texas, where he resides and has some of his company empire's headquarters.
During the final two years of President Donald Trump's administration, the outcome of the crucial Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton might determine which party controls the chamber.
In an attempt to defeat Talarico and other Democrats, America PAC has provided funding for mailings, digital advertising, and other forms of communication to Texas voters.
However, Musk has contributed significantly more money to Texas through other organizations—at least $168 million to date. According to recent reports, two payments made by the SpaceX CEO to the Senate Leadership Fund, a prominent Republican super PAC, last month were swiftly transferred to Texas PAC, a second organization that has launched scathing assaults against Talarico on the radio.
Citing his vote as a state senator against a 2023 law prohibiting gender surgeries and other medical procedures for minors, a large portion of the anti-Talarico propaganda aims to paint him as being at odds with Texas values. (Talarico's campaign has stated that he opposed the law because it was too broad, but he does not advocate gender surgery for youngsters.)
Additionally, as CNN's KFILE reported this week, Musk has contributed $10 million to the pro-Paxton Lone Star Liberty PAC, which has funded AI-generated robocalls that target Talarico.
Musk's America PAC representative declined to comment.
Republicans who are familiar with the strategy, however, claim that the PAC's main goal is to assist the GOP in maintaining control of Congress the following year. They characterize Musk's decision to pay a portion of the advertising expenses in Texas as allowing other GOP organizations to allocate resources elsewhere in order to safeguard the Senate majority.
The donors who contributed to Texas PAC "ensured that we did not have to divert any resources from other key races" and have enabled the organization "to run effective campaigns across the map," according to a statement from Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund.
Last-minute assault
According to Federal Election Commission data, Talarico has raised more money than any other federal candidate this season, totaling $146 million through October 14—more than six times Paxton's $22.3 million. Additionally, according to a CNN survey published on Thursday, the Democrat has a slim advantage over Paxton.
However, in recent weeks, Talarico has been hit by a barrage of outside funding from pro-Paxton groups, including some supported by Musk. According to AdImpact data, Republicans have spent more than twice as much on advertisements as Democrats during the last four weeks of the Texas Senate campaign, from $118.9 million to $54.7 million.
Republicans in the state feel that Talarico is beginning to suffer as a result of the expenditures made by Musk and other GOP organizations, according to Dave Carney, a senior political advisor to Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott's reelection campaign.
Carney told CNN last week, "It has taken the pretty boy, neighbor next door, cute moderate nice guy and has exposed his voting record."
In an effort to draw attention to Musk's disproportionate influence in the Texas race, Talarico is increasingly criticizing him as Democrats try to encourage their supporters to cast ballots in the closing stages.
At a recent rally, Talarico declared, "Elon Musk is trying to buy this Senate seat," listing the range of Musk-funded initiatives in the state.
"If you've seen an attack advertisement on your TV, it was probably Elon," he stated. "That was Elon if you received lies in your mailbox. Elon was also the sender of any frightening texts you may have received about me.
The message was reaffirmed in a recent digital advertisement from Talarico, which stated that Paxton "will owe him everything" if Musk's funds aid in the Republican's election.
CNN's question was not answered by a Paxton representative.
Musk has previously been used by Democrats as a counterpoint to increase voter turnout.
Last year, Musk and affiliated organizations spent $20 million in Wisconsin, and his choice to run for office there became a key point of contention for Democrats who decisively beat Musk's preferred candidate in a state Supreme Court election.
That year, other Democratic advertisements highlighted Musk's contentious and brief term as the head of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency with pictures of him brandishing a chainsaw.
Despite the fact that his political expenditures have reached unprecedented levels this year, Musk has maintained a more subdued presence. He hasn't participated in any political campaigns.
However, he has increased the frequency of his criticism of Talarico by using X, the social media platform under his control. He has made over a dozen posts against the Democrat in the past week, frequently denouncing him as a "far-left extremist."
According to Lynda Tran, a Washington-based Democratic strategist, Musk and his expenditures have a significant impact on the race.
"There's no way to hide the ball on the contributions he's making or how much he cares about various Republican races," she stated, even though the billionaire isn't on stage "wielding a chainsaw and other theatrics."
