Musk super PAC wades into US midterms with $800,000 for Republicans in close races
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has received a $247,595 boost from Musk since 20 August for his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, who has been narrowly leading in public opinion polls since mid-April, according to election tracker Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has spent more than $800,000 in recent days on over a dozen key congressional races through his super PAC, funding direct-mail and other campaign materials for Republican candidates who face close races in the midterm elections.
Musk's political action committee America PAC, which has been sitting on a $50 million war chest funded by the world's richest man, reported its first spending for the 2026 election in a filing late on Wednesday (2 September), with a focus on races in Texas and other battleground states.
The PAC expects to play a major role in Republican voter turnout efforts, with spending on door knockers, digital advertising and direct-mail campaigns ahead of the 3 November election, Reuters reported in July. It has a funding target of up to $120 million, according to the New York Times.
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A spokesperson for America PAC declined to comment yesterday (3 September). SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The PAC spent the most money in Texas, where Musk's SpaceX is headquartered with multiple rocket and Starlink facilities. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has received a $247,595 boost from Musk since 20 August for his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, who has been narrowly leading in public opinion polls since mid-April, according to election tracker Nate Silver's Silver Bulletin.
US Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican and the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which controls federal spending, was the next biggest beneficiary, with $170,224 going towards her campaign, the filing shows. She is in a closely watched race against Democrat Troy Jackson.
In Ohio, where Republican Senator Jon Husted faces a tough battle to keep his seat against former Senator Sherrod Brown, America PAC has printed $105,675 in materials. Like Collins, Husted sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which controls the funding for some of Musk's biggest government contracts at SpaceX.
The PAC's filing showed Musk also boosted the campaign of Senator Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. That committee oversees the Pentagon and many of the projects that Musk's space, satellite and artificial intelligence companies provide to the federal government.
In US House races, Musk's PAC boosted several sitting members of the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees, as well as other committees that may touch on or oversee the work of his companies. They include Republican Representatives Scott Perry and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, Tom Kean of New Jersey, Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia, Mike Lawler of New York and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.
All of the spending disclosed on Wednesday night was for "printing", suggesting it was used for direct-mail, postcards, door hangers, canvassing literature, yard signs and the like.
The spending has drawn criticism from Democrats, including US Representative Chris Pappas, who is favoured in polls to win next week's Democratic primary for the New Hampshire Senate race. If victorious, he would face former Republican Senator John Sununu, who is running for his old seat. Musk's PAC spent more than $90,000 on materials opposing Pappas, who has been highly critical of Musk's past work running the Department of Government Efficiency.
"MAGA Republicans like Elon Musk are trying to buy this Senate seat for John Sununu because they know he would be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump's toxic agenda," Rachel Petri, Pappas' campaign manager, said in a statement to Reuters.
Sununu's office did not return a request for comment.
A spokesman for US Representative Ryan Mackenzie said the campaign has not talked with any super PACs, including Musk's, about coordinated campaign spending. Spokesman Arnaud Armstrong said Mackenzie was a champion for government reform, "leading the charge to crack down on congressional stock trading, taking on large corporations, and holding big tech accountable."
A spokesperson for Husted declined to comment, while representatives for the other Republican candidates did not immediately return requests for comment.
