GoKawiil
Tech News
WIRED's Leah Feiger and Zoë Schiffer discuss Elon Musk's renewed political spending through America PAC heading into the midterm elections, following his major financial involvement in the 2024 cycle. They note this spending pattern is echoed by other Silicon Valley tech leaders and their own PACs, who are similarly active this election cycle.
America PAC, associated with Elon Musk, has allocated significant funds toward the most pivotal Senate races in the upcoming midterm elections. The group has spent nearly three times more on attacking Democratic candidates than supporting Republican ones, with notable expenditures in Texas and other battleground states. These efforts aim to influence the balance of power in the Senate amid concerns over a potential Democratic majority.
Federal filings analyzed by WIRED show Elon Musk's America PAC has spent $21 million of its $26.7 million total this cycle on seven competitive US Senate races. The spending as of October 6 skews heavily toward attacking Democratic candidates rather than directly supporting Republicans, with roughly double that ratio overall and triple in Senate contests specifically. This year's total spending is about a third of the $85.9 million America PAC had spent by the same point in 2024, when most money went to the presidential race.
Elon Musk's super PAC, America PAC, disclosed its first midterm expenditures to the FEC, spending over $800,000 across seven Senate contests and several House races. The largest chunk, more than $247,000, went to Texas to boost Republican Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico, with additional funds directed to Maine, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Alaska. The spending, categorized as mail advertising, marks the start of what Musk has reportedly pledged could grow to $120 million in Republican-focused election spending.