Musk Injects $76 Million Into Midterms as Texas Senate Race Narrows

Elon Musk’s personal political committee, America PAC, has become a central force in the final weeks of the midterm elections. The group received more than $76 million in contributions from Musk during the first two weeks of October, according to a pre-election report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday evening.

This influx of cash comes as the campaign enters its closing phase. The PAC reported spending nearly $43 million in that same two-week window and retains almost $47 million in cash to finish the race. The filing marks a significant step in the billionaire's ongoing financial support for Republican candidates across the country.

The Texas Senate race has emerged as the primary target for these new funds. The committee allocated $15.2 million to that specific contest, a figure that is double the amount spent there over the entire summer. Of this total, $12.4 million was directed toward ads attacking Democratic candidate James Talarico, while $2.8 million promoted his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.

Subsequent daily filings reveal that the pressure on Talarico has only increased. Another $9.1 million was spent against the Democrat after the initial report, bringing the PAC's total spending against him this cycle to nearly $28 million. This amount represents roughly 40 percent of all the money the group has spent on supporting or opposing candidates. The PAC has also shifted its strategy toward digital platforms, spending $11.4 million on online ads in the two-week period, which rivals its combined spending on mail and texting.

Musk is not just funding the campaign but also participating in it publicly. He has used his social media platform X to criticize Talarico, calling the candidate a creep and suggesting without evidence that he would vote to take away voters' children and transition them. He also amplified a claim earlier this month that Talarico had been treated at a mental health facility, a detail Talarico says is false.

Talarico responded to the online attack with a statement criticizing the role of money in politics. He said there is something deeply wrong with a system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal U.S. Senator. The reaction highlights the tension between personal wealth and electoral processes that has defined this portion of the race.

Recent polling suggests the race remains tight. An Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely Texas voters conducted from October 17 to 19 shows Talarico leading 48 percent to 46 percent. However, this margin is within the poll's three-point margin of error, keeping the outcome uncertain as the election approaches.

The stakes for Musk extend beyond the single Senate seat. If Democrats gain control of the House, lawmakers have signaled they will investigate Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency and his companies' federal contracts. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, has described the number of conflicts of interest as astounding. Additionally, Silicon Valley Democrats have focused on restrictions regarding SpaceX's Starshield service in Ukraine, with Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna telling the White House that the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Musk's businesses.