Musk PAC Spends $76 Million in Texas

Elon Musk’s political committee, America PAC, received more than $76 million in contributions during the first two weeks of October. A Federal Election Commission report filed on Thursday evening detailed the influx of cash as the group prepares for the final phase of the midterm campaign. The filing indicates that the committee spent nearly $43 million in that same period, leaving it with approximately $47 million in liquid assets going into election day.

The Texas Senate contest absorbed the largest share of that expenditure. America PAC directed $15.2 million to the race, a figure that is double what the group spent in the state over the entire summer. Of that amount, $12.4 million funded attacks on Democratic candidate James Talarico, while $2.8 million supported Republican Ken Paxton. Subsequent daily filings show another $9.1 million spent against Talarico, bringing the committee’s total opposition spending on the Democrat to nearly $28 million. This accounts for roughly 40 percent of all money the group has deployed for candidates this cycle. The PAC also shifted toward digital channels, spending $11.4 million on online ads, an amount comparable to its combined mail and texting budgets.

Musk’s involvement extends beyond financial support. On Wednesday, he posted on X that "there is something deeply wrong with Talarico" and described the candidate as "a creep." He asserted without evidence that Talarico "would vote to take away your kids and transition them." Earlier in the month, Musk amplified a false claim that Talarico had received treatment at a mental health facility. Talarico responded on the same day, stating, "There is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal US Senator."

An Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely Texas voters, conducted from October 17 to 19, places the race in a toss-up. Talarico leads by two points at 48 percent, while Paxton trails at 46 percent. The result sits within the poll’s three-point margin of error.

The outcome carries implications for Musk’s business interests beyond the Senate seat. If Democrats secure the House, committee chairs have indicated plans to investigate Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency and federal contracts held by his companies. California Representative Zoe Lofgren described the number of conflicts of interest as "astounding." A Democratic sweep of Congress would intensify that scrutiny. Additionally, Silicon Valley Democrats have targeted SpaceX’s Starshield service in Ukraine. Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna wrote to the White House demanding an investigation, noting that the next Congress "will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Mr. Musk’s businesses."

WIRED’s analysis of Federal Election Commission filings places Musk as the largest known individual donor in the midterms. He has contributed more than $445 million to Republican political groups this election cycle. More than $165 million of that total has gone specifically to America PAC since July. The PAC declined to comment on the figures.