Topline
Elon Musk has authorized his super PAC to spend up to $120 million to help elect Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, The New York Times reported Thursday—furthering his alliance with the GOP amid his up-and-down relationship with President Donald Trump.
Tech billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk at a meeting part of President Donald Trump’s visit to China. (Photo by Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images)
dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Key Facts
Musk’s America PAC plans to spend $100 million to $120 million, focusing on Senate races in at least eight states, and several House races, the Times reported, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the plans.
The group told the Times it would be “active in battleground Senate and House races—both offensive and defensive” and conduct “a historic ‘get out the vote’ operation for the 2026 midterms.”
Axios also reported on Wednesday that America PAC would focus its efforts on mobilizing Republican voters who are less likely to vote in a non-presidential election year, citing anonymous sources familiar with the plans.
Initial targets include Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan and Ohio with possible involvement in North Carolina, Georgia and Texas Senate contests, according to the Times.
The spending comes as America PAC is facing scrutiny for paying $1 million to two Wisconsin voters in April of last year as part of a giveaway to voters who signed Musk’s “Petition in Opposition to Activist Judges.”
Since the 2024 election cycle, America PAC’s Federal Election Commission filings show most of its spending concentrated on voter outreach, legal services and advertising, including $2.3 million paid to Lex Politica, an Austin-based political law firm co-founded by a former America PAC lawyer, between February 2025 through March 2026.
Tangent
Republicans risk losing their slim majorities in the House and Senate this year, driven partly by Trump’s sagging poll numbers, which show ongoing discontent with the economy and Republicans souring on the Iran war. Democrats lead Republicans by eight points on the generic congressional ballot, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday, and have a 20-point advantage among those who say they are extremely motivated to vote. Meanwhile, Trump’s poll numbers have fallen to record lows in several surveys released this week.
Key Background
Musk spent more than $260 million to elect Trump in 2024, making him the largest political donor in history. His resurgence in GOP politics comes after his grievances with the Trump administration and the party seem to have cooled. He denounced the GOP and vowed to start his own party after exiting the Trump administration last year following a stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency, but has since repaired his relationship with Trump somewhat. Musk deleted some of his more inflammatory statements about Trump last year, including ones calling for his impeachment and tying Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, and tweeted that he regretted some of his posts. Musk has appeared publicly with Trump on several occasions since, including accompanying him on a trip to China earlier this year. Musk told The Economist last week he thinks he “got a little too involved in politics, got carried away frankly,” and he told Bloomberg in May last year, “in terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future.”
further reading
The Musk Vs. Trump Feud Latest: Richest Man Trolls President Over ‘Epstein List’—Again (Forbes)
Musk Says He Regrets His Posts Bashing Trump Last Week—‘Went Too Far’ (Forbes)
Wisconsin Officials Find Probable Cause Elon Musk Violated Election Bribery Laws (Forbes)