Elon Musk gave $158 million to a super PAC that helped Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate bid. Campaign filings released Thursday showed the world’s richest person sent this money in September. These funds helped Mr. Paxton stay competitive against James Talarico as Republicans worry about losing this high-profile and expensive race.
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.
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 super PAC 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, James Talarico. 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.
Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.