Most of Ken Paxton’s Money Can Be Traced to One Man: Elon Musk

**Most of Ken Paxton’s Money Can Be Traced to One Man: Elon Musk**

*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, 12:51 a.m ET

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.
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 Texas PAC, 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.

The New York Times reported on Monday about Mr. Musk’s contributions to the Senate Leadership Fund and how they could end up helping Mr. Paxton, but the campaign filings offered more detail on the choreography of Mr. Musk’s donations.

Mr. Musk also donated $10 million to a separate pro-Paxton super PAC, money that allowed the group to start running television ads in late August. Mr. Musk, who lives in Austin, and Mr. Paxton, who as the state attorney general regulates Mr. Musk’s businesses in Texas, have been allies in state politics.

Mr. Musk has not shown much enthusiasm in public or private about any midterm candidates, rarely posting on X, his social media site, about Republican nominees. But in recent days, he has posted negatively multiple times about Mr. Talarico.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Talarico has criticized the political influence of billionaires like Mr. Musk.

Wonder what it about Talarico that makes Elon so scared.

C’mon Texas let’s make Elon Nazi Musk lose $200 million dollars by all voting for James Talarico!🌊🔵💙 VOTE DEMOCRAT 💙🔵🌊

No one should have the power and influence Musk is wielding. If you’re tired of our broken system, check out the book Strike 120: Confronting American Oligarchy in the 120th U.S. Congress. It’s a quick read and offers some hope while we endure the antics of Musk and Paxton.

Absolutely sickening, USA now is the time to make a stand and reject this

I don’t get malignant narcissistic personality.

Elon Musk could get all the love and attention he ever wanted if he used his money for good. He would have endless praise and all the ass kissing he could ever want.He could help Talirico get elected. Give Ukraine money and open Starlink up more.

But no he does none of that which only leads me to believe he is also in the Epstein files and trying to keep it all secret. It makes no sense.

Everything can be traced back to Elon

he’ll spend on anything but helping others

And people celebrating that tesla flipping video, brains like f-ckin goldfish. This Nazi is a Crook ruining not just America, but all democracy. Fuck Elon, Fuck Tesla and all the Tesla cucks licking his arse hole, and fuck Nazis.

I’ll be pleasantly surprised if Talarico wine, but I’ve seen this movie before.

Hopefully this is the year.