US Senate Contests See Significant Spending from Elon Musk's America PAC

Elon Musk's America PAC has made significant investments in this year's US Senate contests, with over $7 million spent on key races. These contests are seen as closely contested or potentially won by either side, and could play a crucial role in determining control of the Senate.

To track these expenditures, Wired has developed an interactive tool that updates daily, providing real-time information on America PAC's spending patterns. The tracker draws data from filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which are processed and made public every day.

The FEC records detail all payments made by America PAC for advertisements, mailers, and text messages. These expenditures offer a glimpse into the PAC's strategy and priorities in the midterms.

In contrast to its previous cycle, America PAC has reported significantly lower spending this year, with $261 million spent during the 2024 elections, compared to the same point last time around.

The majority of America PAC's spending this election cycle has focused on financing campaigns that target Democrats.

According to a review of campaign expenditures, for every dollar spent supporting a Republican candidate, more than two dollars went towards opposing a Democrat as of October 6.

This trend is particularly evident in Senate races, where the ratio of negative to positive campaign messaging has been even more skewed, with three times as much money being spent on attacking Democrats compared to supporting Republicans.

The high stakes for Republicans this November are due in part to the possibility of Democrats taking control of the US Senate, which could happen if they win four key battleground races and retain their current seats.

Polls have consistently shown Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton lagging behind his Democratic challenger, Rochelle Garza, with a significant gap in voter preference since mid-August.

A recent poll conducted by Marist University found Garza leading Paxton by 6 points among registered voters, reflecting a trend seen across multiple public polls.

Meanwhile, America PAC has been actively engaging in campaign activities through digital media buys, allocating $3 million to opposing Democratic candidates and promoting Republican ones online.

The majority of the PAC's spending has focused on printed materials, postage, and campaign calls, with no television ads being run by America PAC itself.

Husted's campaign has been marred by controversy surrounding his support for the Iran war and negative ads portraying him as "the face of data centers" due to a planned Nvidia data center project in the state that will be leased by OpenAI.

A review of filings submitted to the FEC reveals that America PAC has spent over $83 million supporting Republican candidates and causes since the start of President Donald Trump's second term, with the majority of this expenditure occurring since the beginning of 2025.

A significant portion of these funds, totaling nearly $40 million, were allocated towards the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which the GOP ultimately lost. Notably, America PAC invested a substantial amount in petition incentives for this election, including offering individuals $100 to sign the petition and $100 per referral.

Following Musk's public feud with Trump and his subsequent return to politics, the outflows from America PAC experienced a notable decline, only to pick up again in recent months as the elections approached.

Between June 2025 and May 2026, Elon Musk personally contributed $40 million to other Republican groups, bypassing his America PAC.

The PAC itself reported a modest bank balance of $274,171 at the end of June, having spent $31 million since then, with the donors responsible for bridging this gap remaining unknown until its next report in October 2026. Despite a significant portion of its funds coming from Musk initially, other sources are now contributing to the group's coffers.

The surge in spending by America PAC is shrouded in mystery, with details on who is behind it yet to be disclosed; future filings will provide more insight into field operations and get-out-the-vote efforts.