Some of the richest people in American politics spent heavily backing Republicans in November 3 elections but their side lost the Senate’s control. Nowhere did it sting more than in Texas where Democrat James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton for the Senate, even though Elon Musk spent a fortune to help Paxton, according to a New York Times analysis. Democrat Gina Hinojosa also won the governor’s race. For a state that has anchored the Republican map for over 30 years, it is a stunning turn. For Musk, who donated a total $474 million (nearly half a billion dollars) to Republican candidates, including more than $220 million in Texas alone in this year’s midterm elections, it is arguably his biggest political defeat.
How much Tesla CEO put in and why Texas matters to Elon Musk
Musk was the largest donor of the 2026 midterms. Most of it went to his own America PAC and to the top super PACs for Senate and House Republicans. His biggest play was in Texas, his adopted home state and the headquarters of Tesla and SpaceX. In September alone, he gave $158 million to the Senate Republicans’ main super PAC, which was quickly routed to a super PAC backing Paxton, the state’s attorney general. America PAC also spent more than $47 million against Talarico. The New York Times put Musk’s total spending in the state at roughly $224 million.His reasoning was the long game. Musk has said Republicans needed a defence in case Democrats sweep Washington in 2028, and he feared they would grant statehood to Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. In a post on X on October 30, Musk gave a “game over” warning “for America”.My biggest concern is that if there is a clean sweep by Democrats of the House, Senate and Presidency in 2028, they will:1. Make DC and Puerto Rico states to gain a strong majority in the Senate.2. Open the borders and legalize everyone living in America illegally to cement a permanent majority.3. Increase the size of the Supreme Court to gain an immediate majority.This would result in America becoming a permanent one-party state and the end of democracy in any meaningful sense of the word.All that is needed to ensure this doesn’t happen is 51 Republican senators in 2029. That is why you should vote for Republican senators this election. Other reasons are irrelevant compared to this one.It would be game over for America
Texas is home turf for Musk and the tech world
Texas, with its cowboy hats, slow-smoked barbecue, favorable tax policies and fewer regulations, was supposed to be the antidote to California for tech people purportedly fed up with Silicon Valley’s Democratic politics. Other reasons Musk promoted Texas over California are relatively low-cost real estate and housing, and business-friendly environment.Musk helped build that image. He moved Tesla’s headquarters to Texas in 2021. In 2024, he moved SpaceX’s incorporation there from Delaware, after a Delaware judge invalidated his $56 billion Tesla pay plan. Musk said: “SpaceX has moved its state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas! If your company is still incorporated in Delaware, I recommend moving to another state as soon as possible.”He has also said SpaceX’s main office would move to Boca Chica and X would move to Austin. Many tech moguls came to Texas looking for redder politics. On Tuesday, the state turned a lot bluer.
What Musk said after the result
Elon Musk responded on X with jokes.“Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now,” he wrote, and then, “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time.”Later he reposted conservative exit polling that showed Republican voters still backing the Trump administration’s immigration policies but seeing the war in Iran as a “losing issue.” His reply was one word: “Interesting.”The jokes follow a sharper tone in October, when he wrote, “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” and warned that he would find out who is “really pulling the strings.” An October report by Politico said that democrats are eyeing many targets, the biggest of them may be Elon Musk, as they make plans to probe corruption in and around President Donald Trump’s administration if they win control of the House next month.
Musk’s influence on US elections
Musk’s returns have been uneven. In 2024 he spent over $290 million, mostly to help Donald Trump retake the White House, and later became the effective head of the DOGE office. In 2025 he and allied super PACs spent over $20 million on a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and his favoured candidate lost by more than 10 points. With Texas now ‘Blue’, next up are the 2028 presidential primaries.
A bad night for big money
Musk was not the only billionaire to come up short. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy lost the governor’s race to Democrat Amy Acton after putting an estimated $36 million of his own money into it. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms beat Republican billionaire Rick Jackson. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott, who began the year with $105.7 million on hand, conceded to Hinojosa. According to the Associated Press, Democrats also won both the House and the Senate. Whether or not Texas is truly a battleground now, Republicans can no longer take its voters for granted.
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