Musk appears to be biggest-known donor ahead of US miderm elections
Elon Musk (C) is photographed during a summit in Washington, U.S., Oct. 8, 2026. (AFP Photo)


Elon Musk, the world's only trillionaire, has spent roughly $366 million on the 2026 midterm elections so far, becoming the biggest known donor as he tried to help Republicans to retain control of Congress, U.S. media reported on Monday.

Musk has spent about $276 million ​since July only, even as Democrats' chances of retaking ⁠the U.S. House and Senate have ⁠improved.

Musk's largess, which was reported earlier by the New York Times (NYT), makes the world's richest person likely the single-biggest political ​donor in this year's races, according to campaign ​finance records.

There ⁠is a lot at stake for Musk with House Democrats calling for investigations into his government contracts as CEO of aerospace company SpaceX, as well as his work running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump.

The numbers, first reported by the NYT ahead of this week's federal filing deadline, were confirmed by Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk's super PAC.

The money includes $158 million given to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, one of the largest known political donations in American history, according to the Times.

Another $76 million went to America PAC, a Musk super PAC, which has once again built out a major turnout operation like the one it used to help elect President Donald Trump by knocking on doors in 2024.

Musk also provided $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group that supports the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas, Ken Paxton. The race has been a major focus of Musk's efforts.

It's a dramatic turnaround since last May, when Musk said he intended to cut back on future political spending . "I think I've done enough," he said at the time.

Musk's net worth has fluctuated around the trillion-dollar line this year based on changes in stock prices, but he topped $1 trillion again last week according to Forbes magazine.

He spent roughly $290 million during the last election cycle.