Republican megadonor Elon Musk conceded a couple of months ago that he “got a little too involved in politics, got carried away, frankly.” Just days later, the world’s wealthiest billionaire opened the door to getting carried away in politics again.
Musk, who spent nearly $300 million to boost GOP candidates during the 2024 election cycle, suggested last summer that he was prepared to invest in a new third political party to challenge Republicans and Democrats. Roughly a year later, he resurrected his super PAC (called America PAC) and made plans to spend at least $100 million to help Republicans in multiple swing states.
With Labor Day having come and gone, and the 2026 cycle entering its eight-week home stretch, we’re just now getting a look at how Musk’s millions are being spent. The New York Times reported:
Elon Musk began a political advertising blitz on Tuesday in three states that could decide control of the Senate, as his political group began attacking Democrats over transgender issues by accusing them of allowing men to compete in women’s sports.
The spots from Mr. Musk’s group, America PAC, target three top Democratic nominees for Senate: James Talarico in Texas, Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Josh Turek in Iowa.
At this point, we could talk about how insulting it is to Americans’ intelligence to see a super PAC pretend that transgender athletes are one of the most important challenges facing the nation right now. We could also note the significance of seeing Musk’s operation go on the air in three red states that Donald Trump carried by double digits just two years ago.
But stepping back, there’s a broader question that has been largely excluded from the national conversation: Are Republicans prepared to comment on Musk trying to buy the midterms for them?
We are, after all, talking about a billionaire whose overt racism and antisemitism has been thoroughly (and recently) documented. The New York Times’ Jamelle Bouie posited in a July column:
Why does Musk get a pass? Why do politicians, journalists and commentators treat his far-right racist radicalism as a sideshow rather than the core of his political, ideological and industrial project, seen in everything from his deep support for Donald Trump in the United States and Restore Britain in Britain to his decision to construct a massive pollution-generating data center in predominantly Black Memphis?
Musk spends a large part of his free time fomenting violence and spreading the same hateful ideology that motivated some of the deadliest shootings and attacks ever to happen on American soil. It is that fact, and not the cars he builds or the rockets he launches, that ought to define his place in public life.
These underlying questions need not be rhetorical. If prominent Democrats are routinely pressed to publicly condemn influencer and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker — who isn’t a billionaire, and who isn’t going to make a nine-figure investment in this year’s elections — how is that Republicans will enjoy the benefits of Musk’s generosity without responding to his ugly rhetoric and role in promoting bigotry?
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