Elon Musk has contributed at least $276 million to Republican political groups since July, a surge of giving that brings his total for the 2026 election cycle to roughly $366 million and makes the world’s richest man by far the largest known donor of the midterm elections.
The figures were first reported by The New York Times and confirmed on Monday by Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk’s super PAC, America PAC. They have not yet appeared in Federal Election Commission filings: super PACs must disclose their third-quarter activity by Thursday, October 15, covering the period from July 1 through September 30. The roughly $90 million Musk gave earlier in the cycle is documented in previously filed reports.
Where the money went
The largest share, $158 million, went to the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune that works to elect Republicans to the Senate. The Associated Press described the contribution as one of the largest known political donations in American history. The fund has spent heavily on the Texas Senate race, where it is backing Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Another $76 million went to America PAC, Musk’s own super PAC, which has again built a large voter-turnout operation for Republican candidates. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the main House Republican super PAC, received $20 million.
The remaining contributions went to state-focused groups: $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton in Texas; $10 million to the Republican Governors Association; and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association. The governors’ and attorneys general groups report to the IRS as tax-exempt 527 organizations rather than filing FEC committee reports, so those two contributions may not appear in Thursday’s FEC postings.
The contributions are donations to political committees, not spending by Musk himself. Super PACs may raise and spend unlimited sums but must operate independently of candidates and may not coordinate their advertising with campaigns.
A reversal, at a record pace
The scale of the giving marks a reversal for Musk. In May 2025, after spending roughly $290 million during the 2024 cycle to help Donald Trump return to the White House, he said he planned to do “a lot less” political spending in the future, adding, “I think I’ve done enough.” His 2026 cycle total already exceeds his 2024 spending, with weeks remaining before Election Day on November 3.
By comparison, tallies based on filings through September put the next-largest donor households, the Andreessen and Horowitz families, at about $149 million, and the Soros family at about $104 million, most of it to Democratic-aligned groups. Musk’s total is more than double the next entry. Reuters also reported that Musk has given additional money through organizations that do not disclose their donors, meaning $366 million is a floor rather than a complete total.
Reaction and what comes next
Romeo, the America PAC spokesperson, said the investments have allowed the Republican apparatus “to get its message out so Republicans can have a fighting chance to defy history” in holding Congress. Democrats have focused less on the donations themselves than on Musk’s business interests: House Democrats have called for investigations into his government contracts at SpaceX and his earlier work leading the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration.
The formal record arrives Thursday, when the Senate Leadership Fund, America PAC and other quarterly filers post their third-quarter reports with the FEC. Zark News will update this story once those filings are public and the reported figures can be checked against the official disclosures.
Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; CNN; original reporting by The New York Times; filings at the Federal Election Commission.
