Elon Musk has given more than $400 million in the 2026 cycle to help Republicans. No single disclosed donor has given more this election.
Why it matters: Musk's money passed through Senate Leadership Fund to Texas PAC, which backs Republican Ken Paxton. Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a contested Senate race.
Left coverage, 14 sources: The left sees Musk and a handful of billionaires flooding the race to rescue Republicans, while arguing the GOP's reliance on late, expensive big-donor money exposes weakness among its small donors.
What’s next: Candidates get lower ad rates than super PACs, a gap that favors well-funded Democratic campaigns. In Texas, Republicans outspent Democrats 3-to-1 but aired 58% of ads, per AdImpact data.
