Billionaire Elon Musk has become the largest individual political donor in U.S. history, spending over $442 million on Republican campaigns and political groups ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. A significant portion of his donations has focused on the Texas Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 24, 2026
Sources
Reported by 2 outlets
Taxes and money
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Political donations to Republican campaigns and groups$442 million12Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Contributions to America PAC$76.8 million12Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Prior spending on Republican campaigns and groups$366 million12Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Donations to Senate Leadership Fund$158 million12Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Contribution to Senate Leadership Fund on September 9$75 million12Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Contribution to Senate Leadership Fund approximately two weeks after September 9$83 million12Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Coming up
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. November 3 U.S. midterm elections12
Who's involved
Elon MuskBillionaire, SpaceX CEO, Tesla chief executive, political donor
Ken PaxtonRepublican candidate for U.S. Senate, Texas state Attorney General
James TalaricoDemocratic challenger for U.S. Senate
The facts
Musk contributed $158 million to Senate Leadership Fund through two donations in September.12Stated by 2 sources
Senate Leadership Fund transferred amounts to Texas-based PAC supporting Paxton.12Stated by 2 sources
Musk donated $75 million to Senate Leadership Fund on September 9.12Stated by 2 sources
Musk donated $83 million to Senate Leadership Fund approximately two weeks after September 9.12Stated by 2 sources
Musk contributed $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC supporting Paxton through his trust.12Stated by 2 sources
Musk contributed $20 million to Congressional Leadership Fund, $10 million to Republican Governors Association, and $2 million to Republican Attorneys General Association.12Stated by 2 sources
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
The Washington Post (cited in sources) Musk directed much of his political spending toward helping Republicans retain control of Congress.12
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Elon Musk tops US political donors with USD 442 million for Republicans
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
More than 2,000 churches across Texas joined the "Black Out Sunday" initiative on October 25 to encourage voter turnout during the 2026 midterm elections. The nonpartisan effort, organized by the African American Pastors Coalition of North Texas through IMPACT TEXAS 2026, exceeded its original goal of recruiting 1,000 churches.
African American Pastors Coalition of North Texas, organizer of Black Out Sunday initiative; Rev. Richie Butler, president-elect of the coalition and senior pastor of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas; Rev. Parish Lowery, leader at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth and 2 more
Election officials in Bexar County and Harris County explained how suspense voter status works and clarified that ballot initials and signatures are standard legal practice. Suspense status means officials need to confirm or update a voter's address, not that the voter has been removed from rolls.
Bexar County Elections Department, Election officials explaining suspense status; Harris County Elections Department, Election officials addressing ballot marking concerns; Teneshia Hudspeth, Harris County Clerk
With nine days until Election Day on November 3, President Trump and Vice President Vance are campaigning for Republicans while former Presidents Obama and Harris are campaigning for Democrats. Both parties are targeting multiple states including Texas to rally voters before the election.
President Donald Trump, rallying Republicans; Vice President JD Vance, rallying Republicans; former President Barack Obama, campaigning for Democrats and 1 more
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Republicans who vote early will make a difference and predicted his party will surpass Democrats in early voting by midweek. He contrasted Republican and Democratic policies on taxes, border security, and criminal justice.
Dan Patrick, Texas Lt. Governor (R), candidate for re-election; Vikki Goodwin, state Rep. (D), challenger
Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are campaigning across Texas for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn. The candidates hold competing campaign stops and trade criticism on policy and character in the final days before the Nov. 3 election.
Ken Paxton, Republican US Senate candidate, Attorney General; James Talarico, Democratic US Senate candidate, State Representative; John Cornyn, Republican US Senator holding the seat
President Donald Trump is conducting a nationwide campaign blitz ahead of November midterm elections, holding near-daily rallies to boost Republican turnout for control of Congress. He defends his economic policies at 90-minute rallies staged mostly in Republican-friendly areas.
Donald Trump, President conducting nationwide campaign rallies; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee in Texas; Roger Marshall, Republican Senate incumbent in Kansas and 1 more
President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to visit Lubbock, Texas on October 27, 2026. The Lubbock County Republican Party released a statement welcoming the visit and asking attendees to plan ahead and follow security procedures.
President Donald J. Trump, visitor; Ken Adams, Lubbock County Republican Party chairman
Democratic candidates James Talarico in Texas and Adam Hamilton in Kansas are running in midterm elections while emphasizing their religious backgrounds and faith commitments. Talarico is a Presbyterian seminary student and Hamilton is a United Methodist pastor. The sources characterize their approach as attempting to appeal to religious voters in conservative states.
James Talarico, Democratic candidate running for office in Texas midterms; Adam Hamilton, Democratic candidate running for office in Kansas midterms; Sarah Trone Garriott, Lutheran minister running for Iowa House and 1 more