Republicans had a night to forget on Tuesday, and so did their biggest donor. Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk gave more than $445 million to Republican causes this cycle, according to an analysis of federal filings, making him the top donor of the 2026 midterms by a wide margin. Democrats clinched the Senate majority, and the party also won the House.
The race Musk spent most heavily on for a Republican victory—the Texas U.S. Senate clash—favored Democrat James Talarico, who defeated Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton in a state President Donald Trump carried by double digits two years ago. Trump campaigned for Paxton there, and Musk dumped more than $200 million into the contest, the largest single investment of his midterm push.
Talarico became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas since 1988. Democrats also won the Texas governor's race, with Gina Hinojosa defeating Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. They have also flipped six other Senate seats at the moment, in Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Maine.
Musk, who had spent the past few weeks posting about Talarico, had not posted anything on X as of 12:21 a.m. Musk's giving reached $445.6 million through October 14, the latest date for which contribution data is available. That figure includes money from United States of America Inc., a nonprofit group he controls.
The real total is likely higher, since the figure leaves out tens of millions of dollars given after October 14 or to entities that do not file with the Federal Election Commission. Other tallies put it at $474 million, and no donor has ever spent more in a single cycle. Musk promised the opposite last year.
"In terms of political spending I'm going to do a lot less in the future," he said in May 2025, weeks after a costly loss in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. "Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it," Musk added. By October, he had already passed his 2024 political spending.
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