Texas Senate: Musk’s PAC Drops $76M as Midterm Looms

Elon Musk’s personal political committee, America PAC, has poured more than $76 million into the midterm race in just two weeks. The money arrived during the first half of October, a period that defines the final push for Republicans before election day. A pre-election report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday evening confirmed the massive inflow of cash.

The Texas Senate contest has absorbed the bulk of this new spending. The PAC directed $15.2 million to that specific race, which is double the amount it spent there during the entire summer. Of that total, $12.4 million went to negative ads attacking Democratic candidate James Talarico, while $2.8 million supported Republican incumbent Ken Paxton. Daily filings submitted after the report date show an additional $9.1 million directed against Talarico.

This spending brings the PAC’s total attacks on the Democrat to nearly $28 million for the cycle. That figure represents roughly 40 percent of everything the group has spent supporting or opposing candidates. The committee also shifted its strategy toward digital platforms, spending $11.4 million on online ads in the two-week window. That amount is close to what it spent on mail and texting combined.

Musk remains the largest known individual donor in these midterms. Analysis of FEC filings shows he has given more than $445 million to Republican political groups this election cycle. More than $165 million of that total went to America PAC since July. The PAC declined to comment on the new figures.

Musk has also been active on social media, using his platform to weigh in on the Texas race. On Wednesday, he wrote on X that Talarico was "a creep" and claimed the candidate "would vote to take away your kids and transition them." He previously amplified a false claim that Talarico had been treated at a mental health facility. Talarico responded the same day, saying there is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal US Senator.

The race remains tight. An Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely Texas voters, conducted October 17 to 19, placed Talarico at 48 percent and Paxton at 46 percent. The margin of error is three points. If Democrats win the House, they plan to investigate Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency and the federal contracts held by his companies. Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna wrote to the White House demanding an investigation, noting the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Musk’s businesses.