Musk PAC Spends $15 Million in Texas Senate Race

Elon Musk’s political committee, America PAC, deployed $15.2 million in the Texas Senate race during the first two weeks of October. This spending represents a sharp increase in activity, doubling the amount the group spent in that state over the entire summer. The funds were primarily used for negative advertising against Democratic candidate James Talarico.

The committee filed a pre-election report with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday evening. The document shows that Musk contributed more than $76 million to the group in the same two-week period. After covering its expenses, the PAC retained approximately $47 million in cash. In total, the group spent nearly $43 million during the reporting window.

Of the $15.2 million spent in Texas, $12.4 million targeted Talarico. Another $2.8 million promoted Republican opponent Ken Paxton. Daily filings submitted after the main report indicate an additional $9.1 million went toward attacking the Democrat. This brings the total cycle spending against Talarico to nearly $28 million, which accounts for roughly 40 percent of all candidate-related spending by the PAC.

The committee also shifted its strategy toward digital platforms. It spent $11.4 million on online ads during the two-week period. This figure is nearly equal to the combined total spent on direct mail and text messages. Musk, whose Tesla and SpaceX companies operate in Texas, has also actively engaged in the race on social media.

On Wednesday, Musk 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 and transition them. 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 October 17 to 19, shows the race remains close. Talarico leads by two points, with 48 percent support compared to Paxton’s 46 percent. The poll has a margin of error of three points.

Beyond the Texas race, the PAC’s spending is part of a larger financial push. Wired analysis of FEC filings indicates Musk has donated over $445 million to Republican groups this election cycle. More than $165 million of that total went to America PAC since July. If Democrats gain control of the House, committee chairs have signaled they will investigate Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency and related federal contracts.