Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Republicans retain control of Congress — what is at stake
Kyiv • UNN
Elon Musk spent $366 million during the 2026 election cycle, including $276 million since July. The funds were directed to Republican PACs.
As of today, businessman Elon Musk has spent about $366 million on the 2026 midterm elections ($276 million of which has been spent since July alone), seeking to help Republicans retain control of Congress, despite Democrats’ growing chances of regaining majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Musk’s generosity, previously reported by The New York Times, makes the world’s richest person likely the single largest political donor in this year’s races, according to campaign finance data.
A great deal is at stake for Musk, as House Democrats are calling for investigations into his government contracts as CEO of aerospace company SpaceX, as well as his activities as head of the Department of Government Efficiency in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Below is a detailed overview of his political spending, confirmed by a representative of his “super PAC” (political action committee), America PAC.
In the current election cycle, which began on January 1, 2025, Musk has already spent $366 million.
Of that amount, Musk donated at least $276 million to Republican organizations and his own America PAC between July and now. Of the $276 million donated in the third quarter:
- $158 million went to the Senate Leadership Fund — a committee created to support the election of Republicans to the Senate, operating in coordination with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (a Republican from South Dakota);
- $20 million went to the Congressional Leadership Fund — a committee created to support Republicans in the House of Representatives, operating in coordination with House Speaker Mike Johnson (a Republican from Louisiana);
- $76 million went to Musk’s committee, America PAC;
- $10 million went to the Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports the campaign of Texas Attorney General and Republican Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate election; according to the latest polls, he has an even chance of defeating Democrat James Talarico;
- $10 million went to the Republican Governors Association;
- $2 million went to the Republican Attorneys General Association. America PAC is supporting Republican candidates in seven battleground states, as well as candidates in House races (in nearly three dozen districts).
Information about these new contributions will be released on Thursday, when many “super PACs” (political action committees) are required to report their third-quarter spending.
According to The New York Times, whose report was confirmed by an America PAC representative, Musk also transferred funds through organizations that do not disclose the names of their donors.
During the previous election cycle, Musk spent about $290 million.