Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has made substantial and largely unpublicized donations ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections, emerging as a major donor with the stated aim of helping the Republican Party win. Since July this year, Musk has contributed more than $276 million.
Of that total, $158 million went to the Senate Leadership Fund, the principal group supporting Republican Senate candidates. A further $76 million went to America PAC, the organization Musk runs himself. As in the earlier effort to help Donald Trump win the presidency, when his team mobilized voters, a similarly large-scale campaign is again under way. Musk also gave another $10 million in support of a Republican candidate contesting in Texas.
The contributions mark a reversal, as Musk had said only days earlier that he would no longer spend heavily on politics. Having once appeared alongside Trump at public events, he now appears to prefer a lower profile. Although some friction arose between the two when Musk left his government role, relations were subsequently repaired, and Trump recently presented him with the National Medal of Science.
The funds are a significant boost for the Republican Party. With voters currently showing some dissatisfaction with the Democrats over rising prices and other issues, the party is making extensive use of the money to fund its campaign and amplify its message. Democrats have sharply criticized Musk’s involvement, accusing Republicans of attempting to mask their weaknesses and buy the election.