Texas Senate: Musk's PAC Pouring Millions Into Final Days
A massive new funding injection targets the Texas race as the midterm election countdown reaches its final stretch.
By Lauren Bello ·
The race for the U.S. Senate in Texas has just entered its most intense financial phase. Elon Musk’s political vehicle is spending heavily to influence the outcome in the state where he holds significant business interests.
New data reveals a surge in activity during the first half of October. The committee, known as America PAC, reported that it received more than $76 million in new contributions during that period. The group deployed nearly $43 million in spending over those two weeks. As it heads into the final days of the campaign, the organization still holds almost $47 million in cash reserves.
The Texas contest absorbed the largest share of this new capital. The PAC allocated $15.2 million to the state, a figure that is double the amount spent there over the entire summer. Of that total, $12.4 million was directed toward attacking Democratic candidate James Talarico. An additional $2.8 million went to promoting Republican Ken Paxton. Daily filings indicate that $9.1 million has already been spent against Talarico since the initial report, pushing the total cycle spending against him to nearly $28 million.
This amount represents roughly 40 percent of everything the PAC has spent on supporting or opposing candidates. The group also shifted its strategy toward digital platforms. It spent $11.4 million on online ads in the same two-week window, a figure that nearly matches its combined spending on mailers and text messages. In total, Musk has now given more than $445 million to Republican political groups for this election cycle. That total makes him the largest known individual donor in the midterms, with over $165 million going to America PAC since July.
The candidate being targeted, James Talarico, has publicly pushed back against the spending and the personal attacks. He noted that the political system allows a single billionaire to exert outsized influence. Meanwhile, Musk has been active on social media, describing the Democratic candidate as a "creep" and making unverified claims about his voting stance. These online comments follow an earlier claim by Musk that Talarico had been treated at a mental health facility, a statement that was false.
Current polling suggests the race is still close. An Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely voters in Texas, conducted from October 17 to 19, shows Talarico leading by two points. He stands at 48 percent while Paxton has 46 percent. This margin falls within the three-point margin of error, meaning the result could still go either way.
The financial push is not just about winning one seat. It is about protecting the status quo for Musk’s business empire. If Democrats take control of the House, lawmakers have promised to investigate his role in the Department of Government Efficiency. They also plan to review federal contracts awarded to his companies and address a large number of conflicts of interest.
California Democrats are already preparing their own lines of attack. Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna sent a letter to the White House on Friday. They are demanding an investigation into the Starshield satellite service used in Ukraine. They stated that the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding for Musk’s businesses. The stakes are high, and the money keeps flowing.
America PAC did not return a request for comment. The next few days will determine whether this massive expenditure shifts the balance in Texas or if the race remains tight through election day.
