Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News / Getty Images
New campaign finance filings reveal that Elon Musk has donated over $150 million to support Texas Republican Ken Paxton in his U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. The filings, released Thursday, show Musk as the primary donor behind a wave of campaign ads for Paxton, according to The Texas Tribune.
Musk's contributions were funneled through the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the main GOP super PAC targeting Senate races. On September 9, Musk donated $75 million to SLF, which then transferred the same amount to a newly formed Texas PAC. This PAC was created specifically to support Paxton's campaign. CNN reports that Musk made an additional donation of $83 million to SLF on September 23, which was also passed on to Texas PAC.
The funds have allowed SLF to dominate the airwaves in Texas, spending over $159 million on TV, radio, and digital advertising, as reported by Moneyweb. This spending is double that of Talarico's campaign, which raised a record-breaking $64 million in the third quarter.
Musk, who resides in Austin, has significant business interests in Texas, including SpaceX and Tesla. His involvement in the race comes after his political team reached out to SLF to express concerns about Paxton's standing in the race, leading to an agreement to support Paxton's campaign.
Paxton, the Texas attorney general, has not publicly commented on Musk's support. However, he has previously praised Musk for his backing of Republican candidates. The race remains one of the most closely watched contests, with no clear leader according to recent polls.