Musk's America PAC Finally Opens Its Wallet for Ken Paxton — Trump's Super PAC Follows With $10 Million
After months on the sidelines, Elon Musk's America PAC dropped its first 2026 money into Texas this week to prop up Ken Paxton, and Donald Trump's MAGA Inc. piled on with a $10 million commitment days later.
Elon Musk's America PAC waded into a 2026 midterm race for the first time this week, filing disclosures showing nearly $250,000 spent to boost Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign and attack his Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico — the largest single share of an $840,000 first tranche spread across 15 House and Senate candidates nationally.
A second disclosure filed Friday night showed America PAC spending an additional $2.9 million on midterm races, with nearly half of that steered back into Texas, according to reporting reviewed by CNN. All of the spending was earmarked for "printing" — mailers, signs and flyers, per Federal Election Commission filings.
Trump's Operation Piles On
The Musk money landed just as Donald Trump's own political operation disclosed a $10 million commitment from MAGA Inc. to help Paxton, marking the super PAC's first major outlay to aid a Republican in this year's midterms. Combined with roughly $11 million in outside GOP advertising this week — led by the Lone Star Liberty PAC — Republicans are moving to counter a financial gap that has plagued Paxton for months.
I THINK I GOT A LITTLE TOO INVOLVED IN POLITICS. I GOT CARRIED AWAY.
That reflection from Musk himself, made earlier this year, underscores how cautiously his operation has re-entered the arena after a rocky 2024-25 stretch. America PAC spokesman Andrew Romeo said the group "is working in full coordination with the entire GOP apparatus and investing in the states," while Sen. Ted Cruz told allies "I'm telling everybody we need to do more. This is a very real fight."
The urgency is rooted in fundraising math: as of Aug. 20, Talarico's campaign had spent more than $25 million on advertising since the general election began in late May, compared with just $119,000 from Paxton's campaign over the same stretch, and Talarico's operation spent roughly $4 million more this week alone. Democratic critics, including House Majority PAC's CJ Warnke, argue the late cash infusion won't erase Paxton's baggage: "Elon Musk is toxic and one of the most unpopular figures in America."
The race is considered one of the most competitive Senate contests of the cycle, with polling showing a tight margin roughly two months before Election Day on Nov. 3.