$276 million: Elon Musk's record spending to help Republicans retain control of Congress
The entrepreneur became one of the biggest donors in the midterm elections, making millions in contributions to boost Republican candidates and mobilize voters ahead of November.
Elon Musk in Los Angeles/ Xavier Collin
Elon Musk allocated more than $276 million to Republican groups. According to The New York Times, the tycoon has become "by far the largest known donor" in the midterm elections.
According to the aforementioned publication, which obtained figures directly from Musk's own team, most of the money was concentrated on key Senate races and a national effort to mobilize conservative voters.
The SpaceX founder was a key player for the Republicans during the 2024 presidential election. In fact, through his political action committee, America PAC, he contributed approximately $239 million to support Donald Trump and other Republican candidates in key states.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Musk is launching a similar—and even larger—effort with the goal of helping Republicans retain control of Congress.
According to the Times, Musk has already contributed a total of approximately $366 million to federal committees during the 2025–2026 election cycle—more than he spent in 2024—not including other potential additional donations made through organizations that are not required to disclose the identity of their donors.
More than $158 million for the Senate
The largest contribution was $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the leading super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates.
"That is one of the largest political donations in American history, and more than the group’s Democratic rival raised from all of its donors that quarter," noted the New York Times.
Musk also allocated more than $76 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded in 2024. The group used that sum to fund a voter mobilization effort focused on reaching conservative voters who were less likely to go to the polls.
Other groups that received funding
Between July and September, Musk also made contributions in the millions to other Republican organizations:
- $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the leading super PAC supporting House Republicans.
- $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group supporting Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Texas.
- $10 million to the Republican Governors Association, which supports Republican gubernatorial candidates.
- $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association, which is involved in state attorney general elections.
Among all the races, Texas is one of the main focal points of Musk's political operation, with the primary focus on the Senate race, where Republican Ken Paxton is facing off against Democrat James Talarico.
The race is particularly exciting for Democrats, who view Paxton as a weak candidate amid a negative national climate for Republicans. For his part, Paxton has repeatedly stated that Talarico is "too extreme" a candidate for Texas.
According to AdImpact, it is the second most expensive race of this election cycle.
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