Elon Musk boosts GOP spending advantage with return as 2026 juggernaut

Published September 3, 2026 7:18pm ET



Tech mogul Elon Musk and his big-spending super PAC are set to give Republicans an even larger financial advantage this fall as Democrats lag behind in midterm fundraising.

America PAC, Musk’s outside group, revealed its first spending of the 2026 cycle on Wednesday night, propping up Republicans with what appeared to be mail advertising in 15 House and Senate races.

The $800,000 disclosure is a drop in the bucket relative to the tens of millions that have already been spent by both parties this cycle, but could morph into an extensive field program geared toward turning out the vote for Republicans, as Musk did when he spent roughly $260 million helping elect President Donald Trump in 2024.

Musk, the world’s wealthiest man and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has reportedly authorized $100 million or more in PAC spending this cycle after a brief falling out with Trump that led him to consider, and then abandon, plans to start a third party.

His foray into the midterm elections is the latest windfall for congressional Republicans, who hope to overcome the political headwinds that ordinarily face the party in power with their substantial fundraising advantage.

In total, the Republican Party and its aligned groups have amassed around $600 million more than their Democratic counterparts. They are also benefiting from a Supreme Court ruling that allows unlimited coordinated spending between candidates and political parties.

The National Republican Campaign Committee has almost $9 million reserved for those coordinated ad buys in more than 20 House districts, as the Washington Examiner first reported. It remains to be seen whether the spending can be placed at lower candidate rates, an issue that Republicans have appealed to the high court.

America PAC’s initial spending was largely directed at Senate races in Maine and Texas, with smaller amounts devoted to competitive House races. The disclosure follows Musk’s meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) last week in Texas and reports that America PAC was running social media ads focused on voter registration.

The spending comes as Republicans attempt to defy projections that they will lose the House in November and that control of the Senate is a toss-up.

Democrats responded to Musk’s spending with fundraising appeals warning that he is attempting to “meddle” in the midterm elections, suggesting that his return to politics will be used as fodder in campaign advertising.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a statement Thursday accusing Musk of attempting to “buy off vulnerable House Republicans.” The spending is his first since he unsuccessfully waded into last year’s state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin.

In Senate races, Musk’s involvement in Texas is seen as particularly useful for Republicans.

Trump has promised to spend a “lot of time” in the state on behalf of state Attorney General Ken Paxton and will appear at a midterm convention in Dallas next week. But the president is facing complaints from Senate Republicans who want MAGA Inc. and its $400 million war chest to be deployed more aggressively as polls show Paxton tied or slightly behind in a traditionally red state.

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The president helped Paxton oust incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a four-term incumbent and prolific fundraiser, in their May primary.

This past month, MAGA Inc. spent more than $800,000 to help Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) in her South Carolina runoff. On Wednesday, its affiliated group, Securing American Greatness, began airing $1 million in midterm ads focused on Trump.