Elon Musk has spent roughly $366 million in the 2026 US midterm election cycle so far, with $276 million of that going out since July. The money is aimed at helping Republicans keep control of Congress, even though Democrats’ chances of winning back the House and Senate have improved.
The New York Times first reported the scale of his giving. Campaign finance records indicate that the world’s richest person is likely the single biggest political donor in this year’s races.
Where Musk’s third-quarter donations went
A spokesman for Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, confirmed the breakdown of his political spending. Of the $276 million in third-quarter donations, the largest share went to a Republican Senate group.
- $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota
- $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican
- $76 million to Musk’s America PAC
- $10 million to the Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Republican Ken Paxton’s Senate run in Texas
- $10 million to the Republican Governors Association
- $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association
Recent polls have Paxton in a dead heat with Democrat James Talarico in Texas. America PAC is helping Republican candidates in seven battleground states and nearly three dozen House races.
The new donations will become public when many super PACs file their third-quarter spending reports on Thursday. The New York Times report also said Musk has given further money through groups that do not disclose their donors.
Scrutiny of Musk’s government ties and past spending
The stakes are high for Musk. Democrats in the US House of Representatives have called for investigations into his government contracts as chief executive of the aerospace company SpaceX. They have also raised his work running the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump.
According to an America PAC spokesman, roughly $90 million spent this cycle paid for work from the previous election or supported other issues. These included an unsuccessful candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and a controversial program paying $1 million to registered voters who signed a petition supporting free speech and gun rights.
Musk spent roughly $290 million during the last election cycle, when Trump won the presidential race against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
