Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has put at least $276 million into Republican groups since July, making him the biggest known donor in next month’s United States midterm elections. The figures were provided by his representatives and confirmed on Monday by Lindsey Curnutte, a spokesperson for his America PAC, three days before a key federal disclosure deadline. With the November 3 vote three weeks away, the money is aimed at helping Republicans hold on to their narrow majorities in Congress.
The latest donations bring Musk’s spending in the 2025 to 2026 election cycle, which began on January 1, 2025, to about $366 million. That is already some $76 million, or roughly 26 per cent, more than the estimated $290 million he spent in 2024 helping Donald Trump win back the White House. The comparison is striking because midterm contests usually attract far less money than presidential races.
The single largest cheque went to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC backing Republican Senate candidates and aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Musk gave it $158 million, about 57 per cent of his July to September giving and, according to his team, the most the group has ever received from one donor in a quarter. For perspective, the fund spent $291 million across the entire 2022 midterm cycle, according to its federal filings.
The rest of the $276 million was spread across the Republican machine. Musk gave $76 million to his own America PAC, which has rebuilt the door to door turnout operation it ran for Trump in 2024. He also gave $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC for House Republicans, $10 million each to the Republican Governors Association and Lone Star Liberty PAC, and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Texas stands out in the pattern. Lone Star Liberty PAC supports Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee facing Democrat James Talarico in a race that has drawn heavy Republican spending. The Senate Leadership Fund has put well over $100 million into the Texas contest, though it says that money comes from a dedicated pot and is not drawn from other competitive races. Texas is home to key parts of Musk’s business empire, including SpaceX and Tesla operations.
The scale of the giving is possible because of how American campaign finance law is structured. Under limits set by the Federal Election Commission for this cycle, an individual may give a federal candidate no more than $3,500 per election, or $7,000 across a primary and general election. Super PACs, however, can accept unlimited sums, provided they disclose their donors and do not coordinate spending with candidates’ campaigns. Musk’s $276 million is equal to the maximum allowed contributions of more than 39,000 individual donors.
The donations also mark a sharp reversal for the Tesla and SpaceX chief. In May 2025, after leaving his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk said he planned to scale back political spending. His relationship with Trump then collapsed into a bitter public feud, during which Trump threatened to deport the South African born billionaire and Musk made claims linking the president to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Yet federal filings show Musk never fully stepped away. Within weeks of his May 2025 remarks, he gave $5 million each to Trump’s MAGA Inc, the Senate Leadership Fund and the Congressional Leadership Fund. By June 30 this year, he had put about $50.3 million into America PAC, alongside $10 million each to the two Republican congressional super PACs.
The two men have since reconciled in public. On October 8, Trump presented Musk with the National Medal of Science at a ceremony in Washington, describing him as “our modern-day Thomas Edison”. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and AMD chief executive Lisa Su received the same honour at the event.
Musk has a direct stake in the outcome. House Democrats have called for investigations into his government contracts as SpaceX chief executive and into his work at the Department of Government Efficiency, inquiries that would gain force if Democrats win control of either chamber. Recent polling has pointed to improved Democratic prospects, with the Pew Research Center putting Trump’s overall approval rating at 30 per cent in early October.
The $276 million covers only what Musk’s team has disclosed for the third quarter. Fuller details of his giving, and the spending of the groups he funds, are expected in filings due with the Federal Election Commission this week.