Politics

Musk Dumps $445 Million on GOP Midterms, Becoming One of Largest Super PAC Donors

By list.metadata.agency

Elon Musk has injected more than $445 million into the current election cycle, making him one of the largest contributors to super political action committees. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Musk deposited $77 million into America PAC in the first two weeks of October to help elect Republicans in the November midterm contests. America PAC spent $43 million during that period and ended with $46.5 million in cash on hand. Since August, the PAC has spent $43.2 million on canvassing and $8.8 million on digital media and texting services to contact voters.

Musk’s contributions this cycle put him well ahead of other major donors, including hedge fund manager George Soros, a perennial top contributor to Democrats, and Republican backers such as quant trader Jeffrey Yass and Uline co‑founder Richard Uihlein. Musk has significant interests in companies that are heavily regulated by federal agencies, including SpaceX, Tesla, the Boring Company and Neuralink. His planned merger of SpaceX and Tesla will be subject to regulatory scrutiny, and his role in the DOGE initiative could come under scrutiny if Democrats gain control of the House.

America PAC’s largest expenditures have been in the Texas Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general. The PAC has spent $33.1 million on that contest. In September, Musk gave $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC backing GOP candidates for the upper chamber. That money was transferred to Texas PAC, an affiliate focused on the Texas Senate race. Texas PAC has spent $181 million on the contest since September 11, helping Paxton remain competitive with the prolific fundraiser Talarico.

Talarico’s campaign has highlighted Musk’s involvement, posting a one‑minute online ad accusing Musk of funding attacks on the candidate and suggesting he was trying to buy his own Senate seat. Musk has used his social media platform to criticize Talarico, calling him “a creep.”

Overall, America PAC has spent $71 million to support Republicans in midterm elections, including high‑profile Senate races in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Maine. The PAC has also spent money in more than 30 competitive House districts to help the GOP maintain its majorities in both chambers. In the Ohio Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted, America PAC spent $9.4 million. In Michigan, where Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, the PAC spent $8.6 million. Much of the spending has focused on phone calls, text messages and printed materials such as mailers and door hangers. In New York’s lower Hudson Valley, where Republican Representative Mike Lawler competes against Democrat Cait Conley, some households received door hangers paid for by America PAC. The mailers read “The Socialist Left is Destroying America,” and featured images of Conley, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Musk’s donations widen the financial advantage the GOP already enjoys over Democrats. By the end of the third quarter, Trump, the Republican Party and its congressional super PACs had raised $2.1 billion, surpassing the $1.3 billion raised by Democrats’ corresponding committees. The cash advantage is a bright spot for the GOP in a challenging electoral environment. Musk’s net worth is $905.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bloomberg founder Michael R. Bloomberg, the majority owner of Bloomberg LP, contributed about $80 million in September and October to help Democrats in the midterms.