Musk Pours 76 Million Into Race

More than $76 million flowed into a single political committee in just fourteen days. That is the staggering amount Elon Musk transferred to America PAC during the first two weeks of October. A filing with the Federal Election Commission revealed this massive late-cycle infusion as the midterm elections approached. The money was intended to boost Republican candidates in the final stretch of the race.

The numbers behind this surge are significant. The group spent nearly $43 million in that same two-week window. It entered the final phase of the campaign holding about $47 million in cash. Texas captured the lion's share of these new funds. The state received $15.2 million, which is double the total spent there during the entire summer. Of that sum, $12.4 million was used to attack Democratic candidate James Talarico, while $2.8 million promoted Republican Ken Paxton. Daily reports since then show another $9.1 million spent against Talarico. This brings the total spending against him to nearly $28 million, roughly 40 percent of the PAC's total cycle spending. The committee also shifted heavily to digital platforms, spending $11.4 million on online ads, a figure close to its combined spending on mail and texts.

The individuals driving this strategy are central to the story. Musk, whose companies Tesla and SpaceX are based in Texas, has been vocal about the race. On Wednesday, he posted on X that there is something deeply wrong with Talarico. He called the candidate a creep and claimed without evidence that Talarico would vote to take away children. Earlier in the month, he amplified a false claim that Talarico had been treated at a mental health facility. Talarico responded quickly. He stated that there is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal U.S. Senator. America PAC declined to comment on the new spending.

The stakes extend far beyond the ballot box. The Texas race is currently a toss-up. An Emerson College poll conducted from October 17 to 19 found Talarico at 48 percent and Paxton at 46 percent. This difference is within the three-point margin of error. For Musk, the outcome matters because of potential scrutiny. If Democrats win the House, committee leaders have signaled they will investigate his role in the Department of Government Efficiency. They also plan to look into federal contracts for his companies. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, described the number of conflicts of interest as astounding. Unified Democratic control would pose even greater challenges.

Additional targets have emerged for the next Congress. Silicon Valley Democrats added restrictions on SpaceX's Starshield service in Ukraine to their list. In a letter to the White House, Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna demanded an investigation. They vowed that the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Musk's businesses.