America PAC Moves $76 Million Into Texas Senate Fight

Elon Musk’s personal political committee, America PAC, received more than $76 million in contributions during the first two weeks of October. The influx of cash was reported in a pre-election filing submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Thursday evening. The group aims to support Republican candidates in the final phase of the midterm campaign.

The Texas Senate race received the largest share of the new outlays. The PAC allocated $15.2 million to the contest, a sum that is double the amount spent there over the entire summer. Of that total, $12.4 million was used to attack Democratic candidate James Talarico, while $2.8 million supported Republican incumbent Ken Paxton. Daily filings indicate an additional $9.1 million was directed against Talarico since the initial report, bringing the cycle total for attacks on the Democrat to nearly $28 million.

The committee spent nearly $43 million during the same two-week period. It ended the window with almost $47 million in cash on hand. The PAC also shifted its spending toward digital platforms, allocating $11.4 million to online ads. This figure is comparable to the combined cost of its mail and texting campaigns. According to an analysis by WIRED, Musk has donated more than $445 million to Republican groups this cycle, making him the largest known individual donor.

Musk has also engaged in the race directly on social media. On Wednesday, he posted on X that there is something deeply wrong with Talarico, calling the candidate a creep. He claimed without evidence that Talarico would vote to take away children and transition them. Earlier in the month, Musk amplified a false claim that Talarico had been treated at a mental health facility. Talarico responded the same day, stating that there is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal US Senator.

The race remains close. An Emerson College poll conducted from October 17 to 19 among 1,000 likely Texas voters shows Talarico leading by two points. Talarico holds 48 percent of the vote, while Paxton has 46 percent. The difference falls within the poll’s three-point margin of error. The PAC declined to comment on the new spending.

The outcome of the election carries implications beyond the Texas seat. If Democrats gain control of the House, committee chairs have signaled they will investigate Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency. They also plan to examine federal contracts held by his companies. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, described the number of conflicts of interest as astounding. If Democrats take both chambers of Congress, the pressure on Musk is expected to increase.

Silicon Valley Democrats have identified additional areas for scrutiny. Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jimmy Panetta, and Ro Khanna sent a letter to the White House demanding an investigation into SpaceX’s Starshield satellite service in Ukraine. The lawmakers stated that the next Congress will closely scrutinize federal funding awarded to Musk’s businesses.