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Three takeaways from Elon Musk's latest political donations - Published Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a US election - this time with the aim of helping Republicans maintain their control of Congress. Musk donated upwards of $200m (£150m) in the quarter that ended on 30 September, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by the BBC. The fillings were released with just over two weeks until the 2026 midterm election, where many races for the House of Representatives and Senate are close and Republicans risk losing their majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Musk also put significant money, $290m, and effort into helping elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024. Here is where the richest person in the world has been donating this time around, and what it might mean for his businesses. Most of the donations went to one group The bulk of the money donated last quarter by the world's only trillionaire, $158m, went to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) Pac, the filings showed. It is one of the largest publicly known single political donations in US history, and some have suggested it is the biggest ever. SLF is a super Pac backing Republican Senate candidates in tough races. It quickly sent the money on to a group supporting Texas Republican Ken Paxton. The state attorney general, Paxton is at risk of losing to Democrat James Talarico in a race for a seat his party has held for decades. They have been polling neck and neck and the election's outcome is considered a bellwether for the future of Republican power. Super Pacs are independent "political action committees" that can raise unlimited amounts of money and play a major role in funding US political campaigns. Musk also donated more than $80m to the America Pac that he founded during the 2024 election. Texas is a key focus for Musk America Pac last quarter spent millions on digital communications, mailings and phone calls opposing Talarico, as well as thousands on political marketing to support Paxton. At the same time, Musk donated another $10m to Lone Star Liberty Pac, a group primarily backing Paxton, records show. The flow of money highlights a major theme for Musk: Texas. In recent years, the tech CEO has been moving his business empire - including SpaceX, Tesla and X - to the southern US state after expressing frustration with operating in California. Texas has offered Musk fewer government regulations and no state personal income tax and no corporate income tax. Keeping politicians who favour looser government restrictions in charge, as Republicans typically have, could help maintain that environment for Musk. And his big spending in Texas and in the Texas Senate race seems to point to Musk's understanding of that, political analyst Cayce Myers told the BBC. "Republicans have a fundraising advantage this time, but fundraising by itself does not actually guarantee success," he said. A broader trend for tech executives For many voters this year, technology has become a top issue. People across the country are pushing for increased government oversight of artificial intelligence, data centres and social media. That's something that has tech leaders like Musk developing closer ties to the Republican party, which historically has promoted lighter government regulation, Myers said. "What [tech leaders] are looking at is a future where there is growing demand and call for regulation and I think they want to be in an advantageous position," he said. "We're seeing them shift, and fall behind Republicans." Other tech leaders, such as OpenAI president and his wife Greg and Anna Brockman are also putting big money behind Republicans. The couple donated $25m to the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc Pac last year. Myer noted it's not just the tech sector, but industries like cryptocurrency and gambling where large sums of money are being donated in an attempt to exert influence. "This is the idea of shaping the regulatory environment through contributions," he said. Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. - Published3 days ago - Published1 day ago
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