Musk's $158 Million to Senate GOP Super PAC Went to Texas PAC Within a Day, FEC Filings Show

Since Sept. 9, when Elon Musk wrote the first of two checks to the Senate Leadership Fund, the Texas Senate race has changed from a contest Democrat James Talarico was winning on the airwaves into one Republicans are now outspending him in. Federal Election Commission filings made public Thursday, Oct. 15, show how it happened.

Musk gave the Senate GOP's main super PAC $75 million on Sept. 9 and another $83 million two weeks later, for $158 million total. The next day after each donation, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) sent the identical amount to a new entity called Texas PAC. Texas PAC has reported more than $100 million in pro-Paxton and anti-Talarico spending.

The two Musk checks made up more than half of SLF's third-quarter receipts.

Where the money went

Texas PAC booked airtime fast. By the weekend after the Dallas GOP convention, it was running a positive ad on Paxton's work against sex trafficking and a negative spot hitting Talarico with the line "they/them, not you," according to the Texas Tribune.

SLF has spent more than $159 million on TV, radio and digital ads in Texas so far, double Talarico's campaign outlay, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. SLF executive director Alex Latcham told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday the group will spend nearly $200 million in the race. He said that was possible because of "generous investors who have dedicated money to an affiliate, Texas PAC," and that no other state's budget was cut to pay for it.

That figure matches what SLF projected months ago. The group estimated during the primary, when it backed Sen. John Cornyn, that a Paxton nomination would cost $150 million to $200 million to hold the seat. Paxton beat Cornyn anyway.

Musk also gave $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, the main outside group backing Paxton. According to a person familiar with the talks, first reported by Axios, Musk's political team approached SLF with concerns about Paxton's standing, and the deal was structured so Musk's $10 million was matched by $5 million from SLF and $5 million raised elsewhere. Lone Star Liberty had just $35,000 in the bank at the end of June, the Tribune reported.

Musk's overall giving

Musk has given more than $276 million to Republican groups since July, according to figures his representatives provided to the New York Times ahead of the filing deadline. That includes more than $76 million to America PAC, the group he founded in 2024, plus $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, $10 million to the Republican Governors Association and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association.

The Times put his total at roughly $366 million to federal committees this cycle, versus about $290 million in 2024. In May 2025, Musk said: "I think, in terms of political spending, I'm going to do a lot less in the future."

The Times also found that his $158 million to SLF exceeded everything the Democratic counterpart, Senate Majority PAC, raised from all donors in the quarter.

Musk lives in Texas, near SpaceX's Starbase facility. SpaceX and Tesla run large operations in the state.

The Democratic response

Democrats are not short of money either. Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter, the largest quarterly haul of any Senate candidate on record, according to Politico.

Still, an unnamed Democratic strategist working in Texas told Politico that Talarico is "fighting this battle basically alone while Elon Musk and the full weight of the GOP fundraising apparatus outspends him 2:1. This is still an uphill battle." AdImpact data show Republican campaigns, committees and allied groups have outspent Democratic counterparts by $400 million this cycle.

America PAC spokesman Andrew Romeo defended the spending. "If Democrats take control of Washington and win key gubernatorial and attorney general races this November, then America risks becoming a socialist, woke and borderless country," he said, adding that the investments give Republicans "a fighting chance."

The donations were disclosed on schedule. No source has reported a complaint or investigation over the way the money moved from Musk to SLF to Texas PAC.

The race itself

Most recent polls show a tight race, with Talarico holding a lead within the margin of error in some. He is trying to become the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas in more than three decades. Paxton and his allies, including President Trump, argue Talarico is too far left for the state. Talarico has hit Paxton's history of scandal.

Talarico used a Thursday night rally in San Marcos to press Paxton on debates. "If you're applying for the job of U.S. senator... you should show up to the job interview," he said, adding that Paxton "will literally show up anywhere but a debate stage here in Texas." Talarico appeared at a CNN town hall in Fort Worth on Wednesday. Paxton's campaign has not announced a debate.

Election Day is Nov. 3. Whether Paxton agrees to share a stage with Talarico before then is still open.