Elon Musk has given about $446 million to Republican-aligned groups in the 2026 midterm election cycle, making him the largest individual political donor in modern US history, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data reported as of late October. The total is enough to fund several SpaceX rocket launches or buy thousands of Tesla Cybertrucks. It exceeds the roughly $290 million Musk spent during the 2024 presidential race, when he was the main backer of Donald Trump’s campaign.

In 2025, Musk said he would step back from large-scale political spending. FEC filings show he has instead increased his giving sharply as Election Day approached, contributing at least $355 million since the start of July alone, including about $200 million in the final two months of the campaign. His largest single donation, $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, is among the largest known political contributions by an individual in US history.

Musk has also put more than $160 million into America PAC, the group he founded ahead of the 2024 election, including $77 million in the first half of October. The PAC has run a ground-level voter turnout operation focused on competitive Senate and House races, with major spending in Texas, where Musk also gave $10 million to a group backing Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, and in Maine in support of Senator Susan Collins.

Musk’s spending far outpaces that of other major donors. The 50 largest donors and donor groups have contributed about $2.77 billion this cycle, with Republican-aligned contributors accounting for around 60%. Musk alone accounts for about 16% of that total, more than the next three entries combined. The next largest individual donors are Republican backers Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, with $150 million, and Jeff and Janine Yass, with $110 million. The largest Democratic-aligned individual donor, George Soros, has given about $102 million.

The donations are part of a Republican effort to keep control of both chambers of Congress, though polls ahead of the November 3 vote suggest Democrats could win a majority. While Democratic candidates hold a fundraising edge in many key Senate and House races, Republican super PACs have offset that gap with record outside money. Musk’s spending also comes as he rebuilds his relationship with Trump, and as his companies, including SpaceX, hold major contracts with the federal government.