Elon Musk’s Texas-sized midterms failure exposes limits of campaign spending

Musk’s major Texas investment

Musk made Texas the focus of his biggest political effort. In September, he donated $158 million to the main Senate Republicans’ super PAC, which quickly directed the money to a super PAC supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Musk’s America PAC also spent more than $47 million opposing Democratic nominee James Talarico. The New York Times reported that Musk’s total spending in Texas was about $224 million.

Democrats win statewide races

As of late Tuesday night, The Associated Press had projected Talarico as the winner of the Senate race and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa as the state’s next governor. Both are Democrats.

Talarico invoked the biblical story of David and Goliath in his victory speech, saying the campaign had hope and faith despite facing powerful opponents. Musk had warned on X on October 30 that the outcome would threaten democracy and could lead to a permanent one-party state.

Another campaign ahead

Musk has indicated he knows Democrats are eager to bring him before Congress. The article also points to presidential elections as a likely next opportunity for major donors. It notes that wealthy donors can sometimes keep struggling candidates in a race long after their campaigns appear close to collapse.