Musk Pours $158 Million Into Texas Senate Race

Elon Musk has poured at least $158 million into the Texas U.S. Senate race to help Republican Ken Paxton defeat Democrat James Talarico. The funds went to the Senate Leadership Fund, which then passed the same amount to a Texas political action committee supporting Paxton. This injection of cash makes the contest one of the most expensive in the country. AdImpact, an ad tracking firm, reports that over $563 million has been spent on advertising between the primary and general elections.

President Donald Trump is in Texas for the third time in a month to support Paxton. He visited Corpus Christi and Lubbock on Tuesday. His goal is to prevent Democrats from winning a statewide office for the first time in more than 30 years. Trump framed Talarico as too liberal for Texas and pointed to a deal with Venezuela to process more crude oil in Texas refineries. "We are celebrating the greatest oil victory in history," Trump said in Corpus Christi. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefly joined him on stage, traveling in his capacity as national security adviser.

Talarico is campaigning in Amarillo and will also visit Lubbock. He has begun naming Musk directly in his speeches. Talarico argues that wealthy donors have corrupted politics and fueled the current affordability crisis. This strategy mirrors the governor's race, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa challenges Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. Hinojosa sued to review communications between Abbott and Musk. A judge ruled on Monday that Hinojosa must receive over 1,000 unredacted pages by Thursday.

The presidential campaign tour extends beyond Texas. Trump recently visited Mississippi, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, and Iowa. He plans to visit Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Iowa again before the election. He won all these states in 2024. Vice President JD Vance also campaigned in Michigan on Tuesday. He called the local Senate race a "clash of competing visions." Vance also discussed the Alaska Senate race, where two candidates named Dan Sullivan appear on the ballot. Trump said the Department of Justice would sue if the Republican incumbent loses, citing confusion caused by the second candidate.

In California, Governor candidate Xavier Becerra urged voters to reject a voter ID ballot measure. He argued the measure would make voting harder. Speaker Mike Johnson joined Rep. Mike Lawler of New York to project confidence for the House. "I think we are due for a great election," Johnson said.