James Talarico Says Elon Musk Is 'Trying to Buy' Ken Paxton a Texas Senate Seat

James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, said Elon Musk is "almost single-handedly bankrolling" Republican Ken Paxton's campaign. Spending records and ad-tracking data show Musk-linked money is the biggest source of outside spending for Paxton, though Donald Trump's super PAC and other groups are paying too.

Musk gave $158 million in September to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC for Senate Republicans. It sent the same amount to a new group called Texas PAC, Reason reported. Separately, the Texas Tribune reported that national Republicans have put more than $200 million into Texas for Paxton since September, nearly all of it bankrolled by Musk. Talarico leads Paxton 47.9 percent to 43.6 percent in PolitiKool's polling average.

What James Talarico Said About Elon Musk

Talarico said Musk had taken over the effort against him.

"Elon Musk is trying to buy this Senate seat in Texas," he said. "We just found out that the richest man in the world is almost single-handedly bankrolling this effort to install Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate and defeat the movement that we are building in our state."

He then said that, in all likelihood, any attack ad voters had seen on TV came from Musk. "If you've gotten lies in your mailbox, that was Elon," he said, and added text messages with "scary black and white photos" of himself to the list.

"Ken Paxton is funded by one dude." — James Talarico

Talarico said his campaign is "funded by 1.3 million individuals" and tied Musk's spending to Texas's land, water and tax dollars. "He wants his very own personal United States Senator. He is trying to buy Texas," he said, before closing with "Texas is not for sale."

Where Musk's Money Went

The money moved fast. Musk gave $75 million to the Senate Leadership Fund on Sept. 9, and the super PAC sent $75 million to Texas PAC the next day. Two weeks later Musk gave another $83 million, and the Senate Leadership Fund moved it to Texas PAC the following day, Reason reported. Texas PAC used the money for ads promoting Paxton's record on sex trafficking and for attack ads on Talarico over social issues.

Musk's own super PAC, America PAC, is also in the race. Its first Texas spending, nearly $250,000, went to printing, "typically things like mailers, signs and flyers," the Texas Tribune reported. Musk has endorsed Paxton, and he wrote on X that there was something "deeply wrong" with Talarico, The National Desk reported.

But Musk is not paying for everything. MAGA Inc., Donald Trump's super PAC, has spent $33.7 million on advertising for Paxton, according to the Texas Tribune. Lone Star Liberty PAC has also spent money backing the Republican. As of late September, CBS Texas ad-tracking data showed Texas PAC alone had spent or reserved $119 million on TV and digital ads, and pro-Paxton groups including Lone Star Liberty PAC and MAGA Inc. had more than $155 million. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has described the scale of the effort in plain terms. "Texas has 20 media markets," Thune said, putting the cost of statewide TV at roughly "$8 million a week," CBS Texas reported.

The spending records and ad-tracking data support Talarico's point that Musk is Paxton's biggest backer. They do not support his suggestion that every ad, mailer and text came from Musk.

Talarico's Own Money and Allies

Talarico is not short of money either. He raised $64 million from July through September, which the Texas Tribune called the largest fundraising haul on record for a U.S. Senate candidate in any state for that period, and has raised more than $134 million since launching his campaign. His campaign says 97 percent of third-quarter donations were under $100. Paxton raised $18 million in the same quarter.

Outside groups are helping Talarico as well, though on a much smaller scale. As of late September, Lone Star Rising PAC had spent more than $4 million for him, and Moment of Truth PAC, a group of anti-Paxton Republicans, had spent $1.6 million, according to CBS Texas. By then, Talarico's own campaign had spent or reserved $56.4 million on ads.

Musk's Record in Republican Politics

Musk spent more than $250 million supporting Republicans in 2024, the Texas Tribune reported. Tesla, SpaceX and X all have their headquarters in Texas.

What Happens Next

Election Day is Nov. 3. The race could help decide which party controls the Senate. The results will show how far the $158 million Musk routed through the Senate Leadership Fund and Texas PAC went against a candidate whose campaign says 97 percent of its third-quarter donations were under $100.