Elon Musk spent nearly S$570m on Republican-aligned groups for US midterm elections that saw a 'Blue Wave'

Elon Musk, known for his vocal support for the Republican Party, reportedly spent US$445.7 million (S$568.8 million) on Republican midterm election campaign efforts.

According to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks political campaign spending and lobbying, this made him the top political donor in the U.S. this election cycle.

He was the largest donor by a wide margin, exceeding the second-biggest donor by nearly US$300 million (S$382.8 million).

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The Guardian also reported that Musk's election spending began to ramp up from April 2025, but jumped by a staggering US$300 million from July to October 2026.

They also recorded that Musk spent more on this election cycle than every top Silicon Valley donor – including himself – spent on the 2024 presidential election combined.

His efforts seem to have ultimately been in vain, as Democrats recorded a historic win across the nation, gaining control of Congress and making headwinds even in diehard Republican stronghold states.

Responding to the result, he tweeted on Nov. 4, "Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time".

He also added, "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now".

Though he initially put out a slew of tweets calling for Americans to "vote red", he has since deleted them as of Nov. 5.

Super PACs

Musk's donations went mostly towards his super PACs (political action committees).

According to OpenSecrets, super PACs are a kind of campaign funding organisation in the U.S. allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money on political campaigns.

The caveat is that they cannot donate directly to the political candidate, and cannot coordinate their spending with the candidates that they benefit.

In other words, political candidates cannot overtly direct the activities of a super PAC.

Musk's super PACs mainly focused on producing ads attacking Democratic candidates, reported The Guardian.

Musk previously worked closely with the Trump Administration, helping to enact deep cuts in federal government spending, notably foreign aid.

Texas

But other than possible business interests, Musk found a personal stake in the elections, most of all in Texas where he resides.

Originally from Democratic-leaning California, Musk declared in 2020 that he would move to the Republican stronghold of Texas in opposition to pandemic-related restrictions on Tesla factories, reported NBC.

He also moved SpaceX and X's headquarters to Texas in 2024, citing a Californian law that barred school districts from making it mandatory for parents to be notified of their child’s gender identification changes.

Texas appeared a state that would provide both corporate benefits and a similar ideological outlook.

Per The Guardian, America PAC – which Musk directly controls – spent the most in Texas compared to any other state, totalling US$34.7 million (S$44.3 million).

Attacks on Talarico

The ads mostly focused on attacking Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.

Musk also incessantly tweeted about Talarico during the election cycle, with much of it accusing him of supporting the transgender community.

"Talarico will vote to trans your kids," one read. Another went, "Talarico is a far left extremist".

Ultimately, Talarico won his contest, becoming the first Democratic candidate to win statewide office since 1994.

In his campaign, Musk's spending became a rhetorical boon for Talarico, which he frequently invoked in his campaign rallies.

Characterising it as a David-versus-Goliath battle, Talarico accused Musk of trying to "buy" a Senate seat.

He also suggested that Musk was interested in Texas' resources to support his data centre infrastructure, declaring in a speech:

"Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas.

But on Nov. 3, we are going to deliver a crystal clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale.”