Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has contributed nearly $446 million to Republican-aligned political groups for the 2026 U.S. midterm cycle, according to analyses of Federal Election Commission filings. The Guardian’s tally put the total at $445.77 million through Oct. 29; a separate Washington Post data project rounded it to $446 million and ranked Musk as the largest individual political donor in modern U.S. history.
The total is money contributed to political groups, not a record of how much Musk has personally spent. The FEC’s summary for America PAC, one of the major recipients, shows $215.97 million in individual contributions and $171.69 million in disbursements from Jan. 1, 2025, through Oct. 14, 2026. The committee had $46.51 million in cash on hand at the end of that reporting period.
A major flow of money went through the Senate Leadership Fund, which received $168 million from Musk, according to filing-based analyses. Records show $158 million was subsequently transferred from that fund to Texas PAC, which supports Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Black Mesa Research Labs’ analysis found the $75 million and $83 million transfers followed matching Musk contributions by one day; filings do not show he earmarked or arranged them.
The Texas race has also featured spending by Musk’s own America PAC. The Guardian reported that the group put more than $33 million toward electing Paxton and spent $28 million on content opposing Democrat James Talarico; those breakdowns are based on the Guardian’s analysis of filings.
Talarico criticized the influence of large donors in a post on X, writing: “There is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal U.S. Senator.”
The FEC says super PACs may accept unlimited contributions for independent political activity, while rules prohibit them from making direct or coordinated contributions to federal candidates. Voters will decide the midterms on Nov. 3; PACs’ post-election reports covering activity through Nov. 23 are due Dec. 3.
