Elon Musk donates $158 million to boost Ken Paxton’s Senate bid

Elon Musk gave $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in September 2026, and the fund immediately transferred the money to a Texas political group supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton’s bid for the U.S. Senate.

The infusion markedly increased Paxton’s campaign resources ahead of the 2026 election, underscoring Musk’s role as a major donor shaping Republican Senate contests. Financial disclosures obtained by Axios show the money was split into two installments: $75 million on Sept. 9 and $83 million on Sept. 24, each passed to the Texas PAC the following day.

According to Federal Election Commission filings, the Senate Leadership Fund acted as a conduit, moving the full amounts to the Texas PAC that is directly backing Paxton’s campaign to replace GOP Senator John Cornyn. The rapid disbursement suggests a coordinated effort to boost Paxton’s war chest at a critical stage in the primary season.

Musk’s contributions to Republican causes have surged this year. Since July, he has donated more than $276 million to GOP campaigns and political action committees, with the majority earmarked for Texas initiatives. In addition, he has contributed over $76 million to his own America PAC, a group founded in 2024 that operates in seven key Senate battleground states. America PAC spokesman Andrew Romeo told the New York Times that the donations aim to prevent Democrats from turning the country “into a socialist, woke and borderless nation.”

With the newly bolstered funding, Paxton’s campaign is gearing up for intensified outreach and advertising as the primary calendar approaches. The next filing deadline will reveal how the money is allocated across media buys, ground operations, and voter‑contact efforts, setting the stage for a high‑stakes contest in Texas’s 2026 Senate race.