Elon Musk donated approximately $158 million to $190 million to Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP's main super PAC, which funneled money into Texas PAC to fund advertising supporting Ken Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign against Democrat James Talarico. The donations were disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings released in mid-October.
Where
Statewide
When
September 2026, with filings released in mid-October
Sources
Reported by 33 outlets
Taxes and money
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Donation to Senate Leadership Fund$75 million13Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
Donation to Senate Leadership Fund$83 million13Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk
SLF deposit into Texas PAC$75 million13Who pays or receives it: Senate Leadership Fund
SLF deposit into Texas PAC$83 million13Who pays or receives it: Senate Leadership Fund
TV, radio and digital advertising spendingover $159 million13Who pays or receives it: Senate Leadership Fund
Who's involved
Elon Muskdonor; founder of Tesla and SpaceX
Ken PaxtonRepublican U.S. Senate candidate
James TalaricoDemocratic U.S. Senate candidate
Senate Leadership FundSenate GOP super PAC
Texas PACnew super PAC funded by SLF to book airtime
Alex Latchamexecutive director of Senate Leadership Fund
The facts
Musk gave $75 million to SLF on Sept. 9, first day of GOP convention in Dallas.13Stated by 2 sources
SLF deposited $75 million into new super PAC called Texas PAC the next day.13Stated by 2 sources
Texas PAC aired positive ad about Paxton's work on sex trafficking and negative ad about Talarico.13Stated by 2 sources
Musk gave additional $83 million to SLF two weeks after first check.13Stated by 2 sources
SLF deposited $83 million into Texas PAC the following day.13Stated by 2 sources
SLF has spent over $159 million on TV, radio and digital advertising.13Stated by 2 sources
FEC filings disclosed Musk's role on Thursday in mid-October.13Stated by 2 sources
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Senate Leadership Fund executive director Alex Latcham SLF will spend nearly $200 million in Texas race without subtracting resources from other states.13
Media tracking firm AdImpact SLF advertising spending is double Talarico's campaign outlay.13
Senate Leadership Fund Paxton candidacy would require $150 million to $200 million to retain the seat.13
Where the sources disagree
Total amount Musk donated nearly $190 million per [1, 3]; $158 million per [5]
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
GOP Super PAC Says Senate is the ‘Firewall’ as House Hopes Fade
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.
Republican Nate Sheets and Democrat Clayton Tucker are running for Texas agriculture commissioner, with each questioning whether the other meets legal requirements for the office. Sheets won the Republican primary earlier this year, defeating incumbent Sid Miller who has led the department since 2015.
$over $250,000 for campaign loan from candidate
Nate Sheets, Republican candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner, honey entrepreneur and former Christian missionary from Dallas area; Clayton Tucker, Democratic candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner, political organizer and secretary of Texas Farmer's Union from Lampasas area; Sid Miller, Texas agriculture commissioner since 2015, lost Republican primary earlier this year
Texas-born actor Matthew McConaughey posted a social media video urging Americans to reconsider voting for independent candidates, arguing they deserve a stronger voice in politics. His posts drew criticism from social media users and others.
Matthew McConaughey, Actor who posted video urging independent voters; Howi Spangler, Musician who commented on McConaughey's post; Kelly Gaulrapp, Social media user who commented on McConaughey's post and 1 more
Multiple Texas counties reported record-breaking or significantly higher first-day early voting turnout on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Collin County experienced temporary printer outages at 10 polling locations that were resolved within 90 minutes, while Travis, Harris, and Dallas counties all set or approached midterm election records.
Collin County Election Administrator Kaleb Breaux, Collin County Election Administrator; Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Clerk; David Thomason, Director of the Kozmetsky Center for Civic Engagement at St. Edward's University and 1 more
Hays County voters will choose among candidates for county judge, county district attorney, and Kyle mayor in the Nov. 3 election. Early voting runs Oct. 19-30.
Michelle Gutierrez Cohen, Democratic candidate for Hays County judge, current county commissioner Precinct 2; Geoffrey Tahuahua, Republican candidate for Hays County judge, Dripping Springs City Council member; Liz Sumter Gajdos, Independent candidate for Hays County judge, former county judge 2007-2010 and 5 more
Dallas Young Republicans Secretary Sarah Gardner challenged Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico over his comments on faith during a town hall debate. Gardner argued his policies are out of step with Texas voters' values.
Sarah Gardner, Dallas Young Republicans Secretary; James Talarico, Democratic Texas Senate candidate
Early voting is underway in the 2026 midterm elections. In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and Republican nominee Ken Paxton are campaigning on economic concerns as they focus on the closely watched Senate race.
James Talarico, Democratic Senate nominee; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee; Donald Trump, President, campaigning for Republican candidates
Early voting started in Smith County on Monday, October 19, with long lines reported at The Hub in downtown Tyler. The county reported 5,859 ballots cast in-person and 1,301 mail-in ballots received on the first day, totaling 7,160 votes.
Smith County, county election authority; Smith County Pct. 1 Constable's Office, traffic patrol assistance
Republican incumbent Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham faces Democratic challenger Benjamin Flores in the November 2026 election. Buckingham, a former state senator and physician, has served as land commissioner since 2023. Flores says disaster recovery and transparent land management are priorities.
$nearly $890,000 for campaign funds raised in most recent reporting period
Dawn Buckingham, Republican candidate, incumbent Texas Land Commissioner; Benjamin Flores, Democratic candidate for Texas Land Commissioner