Musk Funds Texas Senate Attack With $76 Million

Elon Musk transferred more than $76 million to his political committee, America PAC, during the first two weeks of October. The group filed a pre-election report with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday evening that details the inflow of cash. The committee used the funds to support Republican candidates in the final stretch of the midterm campaign.

The PAC spent nearly $43 million in that same period. It retains almost $47 million in cash for the remainder of the election. The Texas Senate race received the largest share of the new expenditure. America PAC allocated $15.2 million to that specific contest, a figure double the amount spent there over the entire summer.

Of the Texas allocation, $12.4 million targeted Democratic candidate James Talarico for attack ads. The committee spent $2.8 million promoting Republican incumbent Ken Paxton. Daily filings show the PAC directed another $9.1 million against Talarico after the initial report. This brings total spending against the Democrat to nearly $28 million. That amount represents roughly 40 percent of all money the group has spent supporting or opposing candidates this cycle.

The committee also shifted its spending toward digital platforms. It spent $11.4 million on online ads in the two-week window. This figure is close to the total spent on mail and texting combined. According to an analysis of FEC records, Musk has given more than $445 million to Republican groups this cycle. He is the largest known individual donor. More than $165 million went to America PAC since July.

Musk has also engaged in the race through social media. On Wednesday, he posted on X that Talarico is a "creep" and claimed the candidate would vote to transition children. He made these statements without providing evidence. Talarico responded the same day, stating that there is something deeply wrong with a system that allows a trillionaire to buy his own senator. An Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely voters conducted from October 17 to 19 shows Talarico at 48 percent and Paxton at 46 percent. The margin of error is three points.

The race outcome matters for Musk beyond the state. Democratic leaders have said they will investigate his role in the Department of Government Efficiency if they control the House. They plan to examine federal contracts held by his companies. Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna sent a letter to the White House demanding scrutiny of Starshield satellite services in Ukraine. They stated the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Musk's businesses.