New marketing campaign finance filings reveal the foremost position billionaire Elon Musk has performed in bankrolling Republican efforts in opposition to Democrat James Talarico in his residence state of Texas.
In reality, Musk seems to be the chief sponsor of a outstanding group supporting Republican Ken Paxton, in line with new filings with the Federal Election Fee.
On Sept. 9, the primary day of the GOP midterm conference in Dallas, Musk gave $75 million to the Senate Management Fund (SLF), the primary Senate Republican tremendous PAC.
President Donald J. Trump listens as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responds to a query from the information media outdoors the West Wing of the White Home in Washington, September 29, 2026.
Shawn Thew/epa/shutterstock/SHAWN THEW/EPA/Shutterstock
At some point later, SLF transferred $75 million to Texas PAC, which was based just a few weeks earlier to again Paxton in his Senate race in opposition to Talarico.
On Sept. 23, Musk made one other $83 million contribution to SLF. The group then transferred that sum to Texas PAC the following day.
Texas PAC reported receiving the sum of these two funds — totaling $158 million — in its newest report.
The transfers have allowed the Senate GOP group to assist Paxton with out diverting assets away from Republicans in different aggressive races throughout the nation.
Republicans are attempting to keep up their four-seat majority within the Senate in November and are at the moment locked in aggressive races in North Carolina, Maine, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and Alaska, along with Texas.
Democrats are defending open Senate seats in Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota.
The assist directed to Texas PAC is only one factor of Musk’s greater than $276 million in spending on the midterms — near what he spent on the complete 2024 presidential election.
Amongst different efforts, he has additionally pumped greater than $76 million into AMERICA PAC, his tremendous PAC serving to the GOP goal and end up low-propensity Trump voters regardless that Trump will not be on the poll.
From July to September, Musk additionally gave $20 million to the Congressional Management Fund, the primary Home Republican tremendous PAC; $10 million to a different tremendous PAC supporting Paxton; $10 million to the Republican Governors Affiliation; and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys Common Affiliation.
A spokesperson for SLF didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
“If Democrats take management of Washington and win key gubernatorial and lawyer common races this November, then America dangers changing into a socialist, woke and borderless nation,” Andrew Romeo, a spokesman for America PAC, informed the New York Occasions. “These strong investments have allowed the G.O.P. equipment to get its message out so Republicans can have a combating probability to defy historical past.”
Many Democrats out-raised their GOP opponents in some aggressive Home and Senate races, in line with new FEC filings.
Talarico, for instance, raised $64 million within the third quarter — a document for Senate races — in comparison with Paxton’s $18 million in the identical time interval.
However Republicans proceed to take pleasure in an enormous benefit in spending and assist from outdoors political teams, equivalent to Musk’s, which have helped their candidates goal voters.
