Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Quietly Funding November’s Most Consequential Elections
America PAC’s approach has been unusual: for every dollar it has spent supporting GOP Senate candidates, it has spent almost three dollars attacking Democrats.
Elon Musk's America PAC is quietly pouring significant resources into key November elections, with a notable emphasis on promoting Republican candidates and opposing Democrat candidates. WIRED has established a live tracker to monitor the PAC's digital ad and mailer spending throughout the cycle, revealing the extent of Musk's political involvement as the US approaches the midterm elections.
The trend of political parties and outside groups attacking their opponents is not new, but America PAC's approach is particularly aggressive, spending nearly three dollars to support GOP Senate candidates for every dollar spent backing Democrats. This imbalance is driven by the potential implications of a Democratic-controlled Senate, such as investigations targeting Musk and consequences for his companies related to tech and AI regulation.
In the Texas Senate race, America PAC has invested over $9.4 million against Democratic candidate James Talarico and around $1.8 million supporting Republican candidate Ken Paxton. Paxton's campaign is fraught with personal issues, including an impeachment scandal that was later dropped and his wife's recent divorce filing, making it difficult for Republicans to run positive ads featuring both candidates together.
America PAC has spent $1.3 million on digital media buys opposing Talarico, while the Texas PAC affiliated with the Senate Republican Conference has booked $120 million and $100 million for television ads.
In Ohio, America PAC has spent $3.3 million attacking Democrat Sherrod Brown and $1.6 million supporting Republican candidate Jon Husted. Husted's campaign has been linked to data centers, with voters increasingly frustrated by the rising costs. Brown's campaign has successfully tied Husted to the data center projects, negatively impacting his public polling. Despite Trump's encouragement of the data center projects, Husted's campaign has insisted it is a "local decision."
In Iowa, America PAC has spent $1.5 million attacking Democratic candidate Josh Turek, while supporting Republican candidate Ashley Hinson with only $100,000. This stark contrast in spending may be due to Hinson's efforts to distance herself from Trump's policies, such as her calls for banning diesel exports and ending the Iran war. Despite Hinson's lead in recent polls, pro-Republican ads may be ineffective in a race where Hinson is trying to separate herself from Trump's influence.
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