Most of #KenPaxton ’s Money Can Be Traced to One Man: #ElonMusk
The world’s richest person, who has become the biggest known midterm donor, gave $158 million to a group that quickly spent that much to help Mr. Paxton’s Senate bid in #Texas.
By Theodore Schleifer
Oct. 16, 2026
"If Ken Paxton wins in Texas, he may have Elon Musk to thank.
"Mr. Musk, the world’s richest person and a Texas resident who has major business interests in the state, sent $158 million in September to a #SuperPAC that immediately flipped that much money to a group backing Mr. Paxton’s Senate bid, according to campaign-finance filings released Thursday.
"The donations from Mr. Musk, collectively some of the biggest ever recorded in American politics, have allowed Mr. Paxton to remain financially competitive even as he is vastly outraised by his Democratic opponent, #JamesTalarico. Republicans in Texas have grown increasingly worried about the race, one of this year’s most expensive and high-profile contests, fearful of losing a statewide election in Texas for the first time in more than three decades.
"Mr. Musk sent the money to Senate Republicans’ top super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, in donations of $75 million on Sept. 9 and $83 million on Sept. 23. Each time, the very next day, the super PAC cut a check of the same amount to #TexasPAC, a group that the Senate Leadership Fund had set up to support Mr. Paxton.
"The money sent to the Texas group was not necessarily Mr. Musk’s, and super PAC officials have said publicly that they were seeking new donations to finance a pro-Paxton operation. But without Mr. Musk’s historic donations, it’s unlikely that such a large amount would have flowed Mr. Paxton’s way.
"Rarely has an individual donor been effectively tied to such a large commitment for a single candidate."
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/elon-musk-ken-paxton-texas-senate-race.html
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/qGPRb
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