Musk Pours $76 Million Into Final Week of Midterm Races

Elon Musk’s personal political committee, America PAC, injected over $76 million into the political arena during the first half of October. This substantial influx of cash, reported to the Federal Election Commission on Thursday evening, marks a significant escalation in the final stretch of the midterm elections. The strategy appears designed to solidify Republican advantages before voters head to the polls.

The committee deployed nearly $43 million in that two-week window, while maintaining a cash reserve of approximately $47 million for the final days. A disproportionate share of this new funding, totaling $15.2 million, was directed at the Texas Senate race. This figure is double the amount the group spent in that state throughout the entire summer, indicating a concentrated effort to influence this specific contest.

In Texas, the spending was heavily skewed toward opposition. America PAC allocated $12.4 million to attack Democratic candidate James Talarico and $2.8 million to promote Republican Ken Paxton. Subsequent daily filings reveal an additional $9.1 million spent against Talarico, bringing the total expenditure against him to nearly $28 million. This amount represents roughly 40 percent of everything the PAC has spent on candidates this cycle. Furthermore, the group shifted its advertising strategy, spending $11.4 million on digital ads, a figure nearly equal to its combined spending on mail and text messages.

This late surge brings Musk’s total contributions to Republican groups this cycle to over $445 million, according to an analysis of FEC filings. He is now the largest known individual donor in the midterms, with more than $165 million flowing to America PAC since July. The committee declined to comment on the new spending figures.

Musk has also been vocal about the race, posting on X that there is "something deeply wrong with Talarico" and labeling him "a creep." He claimed without evidence that Talarico would vote to "take away your kids and transition them." Talarico responded by calling out a political system that allows a trillionaire to effectively buy a Senate seat. Despite the heavy spending, an Emerson College poll conducted from October 17 to 19 shows the race as a toss-up, with Talarico at 48 percent and Paxton at 46 percent.

The stakes extend beyond Texas. If Democrats win the House, committee leaders have signaled they will investigate Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency and his companies’ federal contracts. California Democrat Zoe Lofgren described the number of conflicts of interest as "astounding." Additionally, Silicon Valley Democrats have targeted SpaceX’s Starshield service in Ukraine, with Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna promising that the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Musk’s businesses.

As the election approaches, the focus remains on whether this final wave of funding and high-profile attacks will shift the balance in key states, particularly Texas, where the outcome could determine the future of congressional oversight over Musk’s vast business empire.