Elon Musk has spent more than $276 million in donations to newly revealed Republican groups since July, making him the largest known donor for the 2026 midterm elections as the party struggles to maintain its majority in Washington this November.
The largest share, $158 million, went to the Senate Leadership Fund, according to figures provided to the New York Times by Mr. Musk’s representatives and confirmed to CNBC on Monday by Lindsey Curnutt, a spokeswoman for Mr. Musk’s America PAC. The fund is a major super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also donated more than $76 million to America PAC, an organization he founded during the 2024 election to boost massive turnout in competitive Senate and House races.
The new contributions bring Musk’s federal political contributions to about $366 million for the 2025-26 cycle, already exceeding the roughly $290 million he spent during the 2024 presidential campaign. The scale of recent donations is historic, with Musk’s $158 million gift to the Senate Leadership Fund one of the largest known political contributions by an individual in U.S. history.
The new numbers were revealed days before Thursday’s Federal Election Commission filing deadline, when political committees are due to report their third-quarter finances.
The Senate Leadership Fund spent heavily this cycle to protect Republican majorities, including in Texas, where Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is running against Democrat James Talarico. As of Oct. 12, the average Fifty Plus One poll shows Mr. Talarico leading Mr. Paxton 48.4% to 45.0%.
Separately, Musk donated $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton. He also donated $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a major super PAC supporting House Republicans, $10 million to the Republican Governors Association and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association, the Times reported and Kurnutt confirmed.
The billionaire’s Texas footprint has expanded rapidly in recent years, with Tesla, X and the Boring Company now headquartered in the state, and SpaceX expanding its manufacturing and launch operations there.
Political spending is also a sharp reversal from Musk’s public comments last year.
Musk said in May 2025, “When it comes to political spending, we’re going to reduce it significantly in the future.”
At the time, Musk played a highly visible role in President Donald Trump’s administration, leaving office after a public falling out with the president. The two have since mended their relationship and have appeared together at several recent events.
Musk also maintains deep ties to the federal government through SpaceX, a major contractor for NASA and the Department of Defense. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month also named him co-director of Project Meridian, a Pentagon committee that studies future warfare.
—Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
