Musk Funds Senate Race

Elon Musk donated $158 million to boost Ken Paxton's Senate campaign in Texas after months of being outspent by Democrat James Talarico.

Musk's $190m Donation

Musk poured nearly $190 million into the U.S. Senate race in Texas, funding Senate Leadership Fund's efforts to support Paxton.

First Donation to SLF

On Sept. 9, Musk gave $75 million to Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP's main super PAC.

Second Donation to SLF

Two days later, Musk gave an additional $83 million to SLF, which deposited the funds into Texas PAC the same day.

SLF's Ad Spending

Senate Leadership Fund spent over $159 million on TV, radio, and digital ads in Texas, double Talarico's outlay.

SLF's Strategy

SLF used Texas PAC to book airtime, targeting Paxton's work on sex trafficking and attacking Talarico as 'they/them, not you.'

“they/them, not you”

Paxton's Tech Focus

Paxton has taken on Big Tech giants including Netflix, WhatsApp, Discord, and Meta as attorney general.

Paxton's X Investigation

Paxton investigated X (formerly Twitter) in 2022 for fake accounts and later bought the platform after Musk acquired it.

Paxton's AI Probe

Paxton opened an investigation into World Federation of Advertisers for potential conspiracies to boycott social media services.

Critics of Paxton

Critics accuse Paxton of turning a blind eye to X and Musk, despite his investigations into AI and Big Tech.

Musk's Ground Game

Musk's America PAC spent $18.8 million on anti-Talarico messaging in Texas Senate races.

Musk's Texas Business

Musk has moved many companies to Texas, including Tesla's headquarters in Austin and SpaceX near Brownsville.

Musk's House Spending

Musk spent hundreds of millions in 2024 to boost Republicans, including Donald Trump's presidential bid.

Paxton's Campaign Support

Paxton received $250,000 from oil billionaire Farris Wilks and $122,000 from Dallas Cowboys brass.