Elon Musk’s America PAC has started writing checks for the 2026 midterms, reporting more than $800,000 in spending over a twelve-day stretch in late August as the world’s richest man begins deploying what he has said could grow into a $200 million war chest for Republican candidates.
The biggest single target so far is Texas, where America PAC has poured nearly $248,000 into the state’s closely watched Senate race, backing Attorney General Ken Paxton and running opposition spending against Democratic candidate James Talarico. Filings show roughly $125,000 went to boosting Paxton directly while about $123,000 went toward ads and messaging against Talarico, an average burn rate of around $70,000 a day during the reporting period.
A bigger bet than 2022
Musk was a vocal, visible presence backing Republicans in the 2022 and 2024 midterm cycles, but this latest push suggests he intends to operate on a different scale. America PAC has reportedly been sitting on roughly $50 million already raised, and Musk has floated spending up to four times that amount before votes are cast next November, concentrating early dollars in Texas and other battleground states where a single competitive race can swing control of Congress.
The spending comes as Musk has increasingly positioned himself as a kingmaker willing to fund primary challengers against Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal, a dynamic that has already made some GOP incumbents nervous about crossing him publicly. Whether that money translates into wins is a separate question. Musk’s 2024 investment in swing-state turnout operations produced mixed results relative to its cost, and Democratic-aligned groups are expected to match or exceed his spending in the most competitive races.
For now, the early filings give the clearest signal yet of where Musk plans to spend first: contested Senate and House races in Texas, with more battleground targeting expected as filing deadlines and primary calendars firm up over the fall.
Sources: NBC News · Reuters · The Hill
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