Elon Musk’s super PAC starts spending to boost Ken Paxton in Texas

Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, has been trailing in fundraising compared to his opponents, but outside groups have started filling that gap. Musk's super PAC is the latest and largest outside player to step in. The spending comes as Paxton looks to translate his statewide name recognition, built over years as Texas Attorney General, into a Senate seat.

For Texans watching this race, the Musk money matters because it signals that national megadonors see Paxton's campaign as worth saving. Outside super PAC cash can fund the kind of television and digital ad blitzes that a cash-strapped campaign simply cannot afford on its own. That kind of spending can move numbers in a state as large and expensive to advertise in as Texas.

Paxton has faced years of legal and political turbulence, including an impeachment by the Texas House in 2023, yet he survived a Senate acquittal and won the Republican nomination anyway. Whether a quarter-million dollars from one of the world's richest men is enough to close a fundraising gap against a well-funded opponent is the question hanging over the rest of this race.