Elon Musk emerges as the top booster for Republicans with $276 million in donations

(CNN) — Elon Musk has poured at least $276 million into the midterms since the summer, re-emerging as the top known donor to the Republican Party.

A spokesperson for Musk’s main political group, America PAC, confirmed the figure on Monday, three days before a key campaign finance disclosure deadline.

A majority of Musk’s latest giving — $158 million — went to the Senate Leadership Fund, the top Republican super PAC in Senate races, according to the spokesperson. The group is currently spending big to retain a Senate seat in Texas, a state that is hugely important to Musk’s business empire.

The figure, which covers Musk’s giving from July onward, was first reported by The New York Times.

Musk, the world’s richest person, donated nearly $300 million during the 2024 campaign to help Donald Trump win the presidential election. The financial support made him a top target of Democrats, especially as he returned to Washington with Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, a government cost-cutting project.

Musk said in May 2025 that he would “do a lot less” political spending in the future, and he later fell out with Trump over his signature tax and domestic policy law. But their relationship has appeared to improve since then, and Trump last week honored Musk with the National Medal of Science.

Musk’s apparent interest in Texas comes as the state’s GOP attorney general, Ken Paxton, is in a tight Senate race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994.

The Senate Leadership Fund has poured well over $100 million into the Texas contest. The group has said the massive red-state outlay is coming from a “dedicated” fund and not diverting resources away from other competitive Senate races.

Thursday is the deadline for campaigns and certain political action committees, including America PAC, to report their finances to the Federal Election Commission for the past three months.

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