Elon Musk gives $158 million to super PAC backing Paxton

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has poured $158 million into a super PAC backing Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General seeking a Republican U.S. Senate nomination. The funds were swiftly spent on Paxton's campaign.

By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published October 15, 2026. Updated October 16, 2026.

This story is no longer being updated. It reflects reporting up to October 16, 2026.

What happened

Elon Musk gave $158 million to a super PAC supporting Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General running for U.S. Senate as a Republican. The money was quickly spent on Paxton's campaign.

Timeline

Oct 15, 6:07 PM ET: Reports said Elon Musk had spent more than $276 million on Republican groups and his super PAC, making him the largest known donor to the 2026 midterms.
Oct 15, 6:34 PM ET: Musk poured $158 million into a key super PAC backing Ken Paxton's Texas Senate run.
Oct 15, 9:22 PM ET: CBS News reported the donation was over $150 million to a Senate GOP group assisting Paxton.
Oct 16, 12:51 AM ET: The New York Times reported that most of Paxton's money could be traced to Musk, and that the group quickly spent the $158 million to help his bid.

Coverage

Most of Ken Paxton’s Money Can Be Traced to One Man: Elon Musk (The New York Times) October 16, 2026
Elon Musk donates over $150 million to Senate GOP group, assisting Ken Paxton (CBS News) October 15, 2026
A quarter-billion dollars from Elon Musk leads the way as megadonors rush cash into the midterms (NBC News) October 15, 2026
Musk bankrolls PAC spending big on Paxton in Texas (The Hill) October 15, 2026
Musk quietly becomes the largest known donor of 2026 midterms (Yahoo News) October 15, 2026
Opinion | Elon Musk's money for Republican midterm candidates (Boston Globe) October 15, 2026

Elon Musk gives $158 million to super PAC backing Paxton

What happened

Timeline

Coverage

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