Three takeaways from Elon Musk's latest political donations

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Three takeaways from Elon Musk's latest political donationsImage source, Getty ImagesByAna FaguyWashington DCPublished1 hour agoBillionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a US election - this time with the aim of helping Republicans maintain their control of Congress. Musk donated upwards of $200m (£150m) in the quarter that ended on 30 September, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by the . The fillings were released with just over two weeks until the 2026 midterm election, where many races for the House of Representatives and Senate are close and Republicans risk losing their majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate.

Musk also put significant money, $290m, and effort into helping elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024. Here is where the richest person in the world has been donating this time around, and what it might mean for his businesses. Most of the donations went to one groupThe bulk of the money donated last quarter by the world's only trillionaire, $158m, went to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) Pac, the filings showed.

The Details

It is one of the largest publicly known single political donations in US history, and some have suggested it is the biggest ever. SLF is a super Pac backing Republican Senate candidates in tough races. It quickly sent the money on to a group supporting Texas Republican Ken Paxton.

The state attorney general, Paxton is at risk of losing to Democrat James Talarico in a race for a seat his party has held for decades. They have been polling neck and neck and the election's outcome is considered a bellwether for the future of Republican power. Super Pacs are independent "political action committees" that can raise unlimited amounts of money and play a major role in funding US political campaigns.

Musk also donated more than $80m to the America Pac that he founded during the 2024 election. GUIDE: What are the US midterms? IN DEPTH: The Republicans walking a Trump tightropeEXPLORE: Where the US midterms will be won and lostNEWSLETTER: Sign up for Anthony Zurcher's analysis in your inboxTexas is a key focus for MuskAmerica Pac last quarter spent millions on digital communications, mailings and phone calls opposing Talarico, as well as thousands on political marketing to support Paxton.

What Experts Say

At the same time, Musk donated another $10m to Lone Star Liberty Pac, a group primarily backing Paxton, records show. The flow of money highlights a major theme for Musk: Texas. In recent years, the tech CEO has been moving his business empire - including SpaceX, Tesla and X - to the southern US state after expressing frustration with operating in California.

Texas has offered Musk fewer government regulations and no state personal income tax and no corporate income tax. Keeping politicians who favour looser government restrictions in charge, as Republicans typically have, could help maintain that environment for Musk.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.