Elon Musk is mulling a cash infusion to bolster Republicans ahead of the November midterms, according to a report by tech publication Wired. And the far-right billionaire seems to have his sights set primarily on tight races in his home state of Texas.
Officials expect Musk to spend $100 million to $200 million with a focus on voter turnout in key races through his super PAC, America PAC, Wired reports. That’s likely to include backing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Texas’ MAGA-aligned attorney general, who’s trailing Democratic opponent James Talarico, an Austin-area state rep, in fundraising by a significant margin.
It’s no wonder that “Space Karen” is focusing on Texas.
Musk, who briefly enjoyed the distinction of being the world’s first trillionaire, has made the Lone Star State his home with a fortress-like residence in Austin. His companies Tesla and SpaceX are also headquartered here.
Additionally, Texas — once considered solidly red by political experts and data wonks — now appears to be in play for Democrats for the first time in decades.
The Cook Political Report on Thursday reclassified the Paxton-Talarico race as a “toss up” after considering it a “leans Republican” contest.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa has also gone from “solid Republican” to “leans Republican” since recent polling shows her within the margin of error. Even though Abbott has comfortably held the seat for 11 years and his war chest dwarfs Hinojosa’s, this is shaping up to be a tough election season for the GOP.
Indeed, the scandal-plagued Paxton has never been able to out-fundraise his opponent. According to the campaigns’ latest FEC filings, Talarico has raised roughly $69 million compared to Paxton’s $9 million.
Part of the issue for Paxton is that even some Republicans don’t seem to want to touch him. To date, the two largest national GOP entities — the Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc. — have declined to spend money on the candidate.
MAGA Inc. has about $400 million on hand and hasn’t released its spending plans. However, the Senate Leadership Fund, which is run by allies of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, supported the outgoing incumbent, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, in the GOP primary.
Thune recently appeared with Paxton at a campaign fundraiser in Washington, D.C., where other guests and hosts included U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former San Antonio Republican Congressman Lamar Smith. But Paxton still isn’t enjoying the same level of deep-pocketed party support one might expect in a high-profile race that could shift the balance of the Senate.
“He is just so fundamentally flawed, and he represents everything people are frustrated with [about politics], including Republicans,” veteran GOP strategist Susan Del Percio said over the weekend on progressive news channel MS NOW’s The Weekend.
Other high-profile Republicans aren’t mincing words when it comes to why they won’t throw their weight behind the Texas AG.
During the heated primary, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez accused the aspiring U.S. senator of putting his family through a “repulsive and disgusting” experience during his high-profile divorce from wife Angela Paxton — long before details of his alleged affair with a married Christian influencer came to light.
However, since then, the NRSC has scrubbed prior press releases bashing Paxton from its website. And in July, the Paxton campaign and the NRSC set up a joint fundraising committee called Paxton Victory.
This isn’t the first time Musk has tried to throw his weight behind Republicans during a pivotal election.
In 2024, the Trump campaign outsourced field operations to Musk’s America PAC, which paid third-party canvassing firms more than $46 million in battleground states to turn out “low-propensity” voters, who liked Trump but don’t always vote. While Trump performed well in those states, GOP operatives remain unconvinced that America PAC and its ‘unenthusiastic canvassers’ were what tipped the scale, according to Wired.
It’s unclear exactly how much Musk plans to dole out to Paxton’s campaign, but Wired reports that Musk’s projected spending would add to the Republican National Committee’s $128 million war chest. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee is $2 million in debt.
An 11th-hour cash windfall from Musk could be just what Paxton needs to close the gap with Talarico. The question remains whether it will make enough of a difference for a candidate who remains unpopular, even on the right.
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