NEW YORK – Elon Musk has quietly become the biggest known donor in this year’s midterm elections, providing more than $276 million since July in an effort to preserve Republican majorities in Congress.
The total, first reported by the New York Times ahead of this week’s federal filing deadline, was confirmed by Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk’s super PAC. It includes $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, $76 million to Musk’s America PAC, which has built a turnout operation similar to its door-knocking effort in 2024, and $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
The spending marks a shift from last May, when Musk said he planned to reduce future political donations and said “I think I’ve done enough.” He has kept a lower profile than in 2024, when he appeared on stage with President Donald Trump and later led the Department of Government Efficiency early in Trump’s second term. After a falling out while leaving that post, the two have reconciled, and Trump presented Musk with the National Medal of Science last week. Forbes magazine said Musk again topped $1 trillion last week, with his net worth fluctuating around that level this year with stock prices.
Republicans hold a financial advantage over Democrats, a disparity described as a bright spot for a party bracing for potential losses amid voter frustration over the president’s performance, high prices and the war with Iran. Romeo told the Times the investments allowed the party apparatus to communicate its message and have a fighting chance to defy history, while Lauren French, a spokesperson for Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC, said Republicans were hoping to buy the elections to outrun unpopular candidates, an unpopular president and an unpopular economy.