Elon Musk is likely to end this election cycle as the biggest single donor. He’s also surprisingly hard to find.
The last time Elon Musk got involved in an election, last year in Wisconsin, he was everywhere: He spent millions of dollars and danced onstage before a crowd of thousands wearing a block of foam cheese on his head. His chosen candidate lost by 10 percentage points. Wisconsin Democrats used Musk’s involvement in the state Supreme Court race as fodder for advertisements, and now they credit voters’ irritation with Musk for boosting turnout and making a potentially pivotal difference in the special election.
This year, the richest man in the world has avoided campaign trail theatrics, even as he’s upped his financial stake.
Musk isn’t doing a disappearing act on his own: relative to last year, most Democrats have shown little interest in demonizing the trillionaire who is spending against them. The key exception is in Texas, where Musk’s presence as a business owner and megadonor have resulted in his being inextricably linked to Republican downballot races.
Trending
“Trump and the Republican candidates are doing so badly now on the economy, on gas, that you don’t need to have a secondary or an outside bogeyman to gin people up,” Eddie Vale, a Democratic strategist, told The Washington Sun. “If gas was a dollar cheaper a gallon, if we weren’t at war in Iran … I think then you would have seen more anti-Elon stuff.”
The Sun’s analysis of AdImpact data showed that since Sept. 1, 37 unique ads mentioning Musk by name ran in federal-level races, costing $2.7 million. During the same period, 351 ads ran that addressed corruption, costing $176 million; $56 million was spent on 189 ads discussing the economy.
Sign up for The Stakeout, The Sun’s Congress newsletter you actually want to read.
Musk has spent at least $276 million supporting Republican candidates so far this cycle — some analysis of Federal Election Commission data puts the number above $400 million. Most of that money has been funneled through political action committees, like the Senate Leadership Fund and America PAC, which Musk founded in 2024.
Musk did not respond to request for comment.
FEC filings show that America PAC alone has spent millions on mailers, text messages and phone calls in key battleground races, with the highest spending aiding Senate races: $1.5 million to support Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, $2.3 million for Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, close to $6 million for former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan and nearly $7.6 million for Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio.
On the other side of those races, the Democratic candidates have honed in on messages about affordability and corruption in Washington. They haven’t spent much time invoking Musk’s name, and they may not need to.
Ben Wikler, the former chair of the Wisconsin Democrats, said the Wisconsin election showed that “Elon Musk is bad” isn’t a winning message on its own. The party’s highest-rated advertisement of the cycle connected an ongoing case Musk had before the state Supreme Court to his interest in installing a conservative judge.
“When you connect the dots and point out that if he’s able to buy a victory for these politicians, then they’re going to do him favors that are going to cost [voters] money, that’s when it really clicks,” Wikler said.
In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico is one Democrat attempting to do just that. Musk, who moved to Texas in 2020, is actively pursuing land deals in the state for SpaceX and data centers; Talarico has seized on those deals and has accused Musk of attempting to “buy a senator” who will be indebted to him.
On the campaign trail, Talarico prominently uses Musk as an example of the type of corruption voters are concerned about.
“If you’ve received a text message saying scary things about me, that was Elon,” Talarico said during a campaign speech earlier this month. “Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our taxpayer dollars.”
America PAC has spent nearly $34 million in support of Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Musk has routed an additional $190 million into the race, The Texas Tribune reports, through donations to the Senate Leadership Fund.
Musk has also attacked Talarico on social media, posting last week “there is something deeply wrong” with the Democrat.
“There is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal U.S. Senator,” Talarico responded.
Katherine Fischer of the Democratic Texas Majority PAC said she believes that Musk may be a figure that can galvanize voters in Texas like he did in Wisconsin last year. In speeches, ads and online, Talarico has found ways to link Musk’s presence in the state to three of the leading issues voters care about: affordability, data centers and corruption, she said.
And at a time when voters are frustrated by rising costs, Fischer said she believes it is “wise” for candidates in the state to emphasize how much Musk is spending on the conservative ballot.
“There’s a certain pride in Texas around liberty and choice,” Fischer said. “Watching the richest man in the world come in and try to buy a Senate seat. … It’s not a good story for [Republicans], and I understand why the Dems are going after it.”
Musk’s connection to data centers has made him a character in other races. In New York’s competitive 17th Congressional District, Democrat Cait Conley has pointed to Musk’s financial support for her competitor, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, and past Lawler statements that have been seen as favorable to data center development.
Conley accused Lawler of being a “puppet” for Musk during an appearance on CNN. America PAC has spent $500,000 in support of Lawler. A source close to the Conley campaign told The Sun that Conley chose to bring up Musk because voters in the district have felt a “tangible impact” from data center development in the area, and they saw a clear tie between the issue and “who or what is bankrolling” Lawler.
The Lawler campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
But in states where Musk’s presence isn’t as overtly felt, Democrats may be right to remind voters that it is Republicans, not Musk, who are on the ballot. The Musk “line of attack” may not be as effective as other areas where Republicans are failing, Wikler said.
“If voters are telling you every hour or every day that grocery prices are their top concern, then don’t stop talking about grocery prices in order to lean into Elon Musk,” he said.
Author
