Texas races backed by Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk ended in defeat after he spent nearly $500 million across the 2026 election cycle, The Straits Times reported.
The outlet said Musk wanted to help Republicans retain control of Congress and support Ken Paxton. It described his strategy as centered on voter turnout efforts and late advertising, but said those tactics did not prevent the Texas losses. It also reported that Democrats won broadly.
The paper said the figure set a record for money spent by a noncandidate donor during an election cycle. The paper said Democrats in Washington and Texas may scrutinize Musk’s spending, while the defeats could raise doubts about his political clout.
The Guardian’s tally of Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings put Musk’s contributions to Republican-aligned groups at $445.77 million through Oct. 29. EconoTimes previously covered Musk’s election-cycle giving, citing the Guardian tally.
