April 17, 2025, 11:13 a.m.
By the time the dust settled on the 2024 election, the richest man in the world donated more than $291 million to help President Trump and other MAGA-minded candidates get elected. More than $238 million went to one of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s political action committees, America PAC.
That kind of investment was a big player in maintaining Republican control of Congress.
Last cycle, America PAC spent almost $100 million supporting 21 candidates—18 of which were running for the House. Reps. Ken Calvert (R-CA 41), Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ 07), and Mike Lawler (R-NY 17) received the most support from the PAC, each candidate receiving more than $900,000 in mostly canvassing/field operations and digital media. Calvert and Lawler were on Hotline’s initial 2024 rankings of races most likely to flip but were removed from the list by the final iteration before the election.
Entering the 2025 cycle, Musk has made clear through his spending-spree in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and a pair of special elections in Florida that he’s going to play ball in the midterms as well.
Fundraising for the first quarter is hardly an indicator for where money will be spent later in the cycle since it’s so early in the game. But if Musk continues his trend of backing MAGA candidates in tough races, he’s likely to step into more races that fit that criteria up and down the ballot. Dipping his toes into local races like the Wisconsin Supreme Court race seems like just the start.
While candidates would welcome Musk’s support and his cash, there’s no guarantee that money will actually help a candidate win. Of the 18 House candidates Musk and America PAC supported in 2024, only ten won their elections. Those who lost had more than $4.8 million worth of support in their races combined. The conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race lost despite Musk’s various PACs spending more than $20 million.
— Hannah Thacker
hthacker@nationaljournal.com
