Senate Leadership Fund routed $158 million to a Texas PAC supporting Ken Paxton
Elon Musk gave the Republican Party another $76 million earlier this month, ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, lifting his total giving for the cycle to more than $442 million, United Press International reported. He has also given $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund for Republicans, a super PAC that transferred the same amount to a Texas PAC supporting Senate candidate Ken Paxton.
The latest contributions were posted through the first two weeks of October. Musk has made donations through America PAC, his own super PAC, and other political action committees supporting Republican candidates.
The new round puts Musk’s midterm giving past the $288 million he contributed during the 2024 general election cycle, when he supported President Donald Trump and other Republicans. UPI described Musk as the world’s wealthiest man and the first trillionaire.
Musk had also given $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund for Republicans, a super PAC that then transferred the same amount to the Texas PAC in support of Senate candidate Ken Paxton.
Paxton is running against Democrat James Talarico, whom Musk has repeatedly attacked in social media posts on his platform X. The money and the posts point at the same contest, Paxton against Talarico in the Texas Senate race.
Texas is home to Musk’s companies Boring Co., Tesla and SpaceX. The Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC, transferred the $158 million Musk had given it to a Texas PAC built to support Paxton. The Paxton-Talarico contest is on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Musk also gave to House Republicans, who are seeking to maintain a majority in the November elections. His support has reached the president’s super PAC as well: he has donated to MAGA Inc., which President Donald Trump has said he exerts control over.
Taken together, the disclosed giving reaches both chambers of the midterm campaign: House Republicans seeking to maintain a majority and Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign. The latter received support through a $158 million transfer by the Senate Leadership Fund for Republicans to a Texas PAC. Musk’s total for the cycle, more than $442 million, is already beyond the $288 million he gave during the 2024 general election cycle, and the Nov. 3 election was still ahead when the latest $76 million round was posted.
MSI previously reported that Ken Paxton was working to rebuild ties with wealthy Republican donors who had been reluctant to fund his campaign while Democrat James Talarico held a cash advantage. UPI’s report documents that Musk had also given $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund for Republicans, a super PAC that transferred the same amount to a Texas PAC supporting Paxton.