Elon Musk is spending big on Republicans this midterm cycle. In 2025, he said that he had “done enough” political spending.
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Elon Musk is giving reams of cash to Republicans.
Most of that dough is ending up in Texas, according to financial disclosure forms.
In Texas, Ken Paxton is running a tight race against James Talarico.
Elon Musk is forking over generational wealth to Republicans facing tough midterm elections this cycle.
Over two donations in September, Musk gave a combined $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans, which has, in turn, given reams of cash to funds supporting the Republican candidate in Texas.
The money, shown in new federal disclosure forms, cements Musk as a major player in Republican politics over a year after he publicly split with President Donald Trump over the latter’s handling of the Epstein files (though the two have since reconciled).
Republicans are facing serious headwinds over the Iran war, rising inflation, and sky-high gas prices. Polls show that American voters are largely dissatisfied with Trump’s leadership and handling of the economy .
All told, Musk has given about $276 million since July. Much of Musk’s political donations have ended up in Texas, according to federal disclosure forms, where embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton is engaged in a mudslinging battle for the Senate with state representative James Talarico.
One day after Musk notched a $75 million donation to the Senate Leadership Fund, the Super PAC gave a $75 million donation to the Texas PAC, a group aligned with Paxton.
Then, also in September, another $83 million donation by Musk was matched the next day by an identical donation to the Texas PAC, according to federal disclosure forms.
Talarico’s campaign, meanwhile, has raised about $129 million.
Musk’s companies are already investing billions in the Lone Star State, as the business magnate builds SpaceX’s terafab semiconductor facility outside Houston.
In 2024, Musk announced that he was moving SpaceX’s headquarters from California to Texas in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies on gender identity.
Representatives for Paxton and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, said last year that he had probably “done enough” political spending, though he left the door open.
“Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I’ll do it. I don’t currently see a reason,” he told Bloomberg at the time.
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