Musk’s Unprecedented Political Spending Raises Democracy Fears

WHO:

Alternet - Robert Reich said Musk posted to his 241,700,000 followers: “Stealing companies is a serious crime. Prison for Reich.”

Alternet - Reich said he had called for Democrats to “defund Musk” and lay “the groundwork for nationalizing” Starlink and SpaceX.

Alternet - Musk posted, “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” and threatened to “find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets.”

The Nation Politics - David Futrelle wrote that Elon Musk, described as the world’s richest man, is using his wealth to influence elections, threaten Congress, and affect the global balance of power.

CNN - Elon Musk is identified as the largest single disclosed donor in the election cycle. His disclosed giving exceeded $400 million as of mid-October.

CNN - Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the main super PAC working to elect Republicans to the Senate, raised more than $540 million. The Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC raised $354 million, a record for the group.

CNN - President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC and two affiliated super PACs, No Going Back PAC and Safety & Affordability PAC, are active in the midterms.

CNN - Michael Bloomberg’s political operation, overseen by his son Alex, has directed more than $100 million to Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II. Bloomberg’s team announced an $80 million infusion to help Democrats.

CNN - George Soros and Bloomberg are among the cycle’s major left-leaning spenders; their spending has been dwarfed by large contributions to the political right.

CNN - MAGA Inc. donors in September included Steve Wynn ($8 million), Stephen Schwarzman ($5 million), Diane Hendricks ($5 million), and GEO Reentry Services ($1 million).

WHAT:

Alternet - Reich said he would continue criticizing Musk’s decisions about Starlink in Ukraine and campaigning for Democrats.

Sludge - Building America’s Future and Interstate Priorities used consultants and directors with ties to Musk’s political operation, according to Sludge.

Sludge - Interstate Priorities, Building America’s Future, and People Over Party did not respond to Sludge’s requests for comment.

NY Post - The four-hour documentary “Musk” was described by the New York Post as “Luddite fearmongering and left-wing sermonizing.”

Alternet - Musk said Ukraine’s military had violated Starlink’s terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes, adding, “That loophole was closed last week.”

Alternet - The article reported that Ukrainian forces’ drones lost the ability to strike targets inside Russia after Starshield service slowed or halted; the affected targets included oil refineries and facilities supporting Russian missile attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Alternet - The article said the Starlink slowdown affected Ukrainian military drones, airplanes, and helicopters traveling faster than 100 mph.

Alternet - The article reported that Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency involved seeking roughly $2 trillion in government cuts, but the effort fell far short; it also said the effort closed agencies, gave Musk and associates access to private taxpayer information, and fired thousands of federal workers.

CNN - Musk’s political spending was described as having surpassed $400 million as of mid-October, compared with about $290 million he spent in the 2024 election to support Trump and Republicans.

Alternet - Alternet reported that Musk had put more than $350 million into Republican campaigns, with half directed toward electing Ken Paxton to the Senate.

Sludge - People Over Party, which helped fund petition drives to put Cornel West on state ballots in 2024, reported that all its revenue that year came from a $7.7 million grant from Interstate Priorities.

Sludge - Building America’s Future reported giving Interstate Priorities $10.1 million in 2024, matching Interstate’s entire reported annual revenue. Building America’s Future received $74.5 million from a single anonymous donor that year; Sludge said there was no direct evidence Musk made that donation.

Sludge - Musk spent nearly $450 million to help Republicans keep control of Congress, according to the article.

Alternet - Musk posted, “Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets,” and wrote, “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

Alternet - Musk said Ukraine’s military had violated Starlink’s terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes and that the loophole had been closed.

Alternet - The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk decided to slow Starlink service for Ukrainian forces and that the White House ordered it restored; the system’s operational status remained uncertain.

Alternet - Musk said, “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be.”

CNN - More than $16 billion had been raised for the election cycle, according to an early October Federal Election Commission tally; most flowed through political action committees rather than candidates or parties.

CNN - Musk gave $158 million to SLF in two September contributions. The funds appeared to flow to Texas PAC, which spent heavily to support Republican Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico in a contested Senate race.

CNN - Trump said his political operation was on track to spend $400 million by Election Day to help Republicans retain congressional majorities.

CNN - AI-generated political ads depicted situations that did not happen, including a Senate candidate driving undocumented immigrants to a polling place, a governor hopeful taking bags of cash, and a Republican congressman holding hands with two Democratic colleagues.

WHERE:

CNN - The Paxton-Talarico contest is in Texas; the Fulcrum PAC is active in a competitive US Senate race in Mississippi.

WHY:

Alternet - Reich said he was concerned about the effects of Musk’s actions on people he described as vulnerable, including workers, federal employees, and people affected by cuts to public services and USAID.

Alternet - The article said Musk’s political spending supports Republican control of Congress, which has kept scrutiny of his DOGE activities away.

Alternet - Democrats and some Republicans in Congress want to determine who is making national security decisions and seek to compel Musk to testify.

Alternet - The article said a change in the congressional majority could enable hearings into Musk’s work leading the Department of Government Efficiency, including agency closures, access to personal taxpayer information, and the elimination of the U.S. foreign-aid program.

The Nation Politics - Futrelle said Musk claimed he had “wised up” to the “fiction of self-government.”

CNN - Musk’s spending is aimed at helping Republicans; Trump’s political machine said its spending would help rescue Republican congressional majorities.

HOW:

Sludge - Sludge reported that Building America’s Future received tens of millions of dollars that moved through the group in 2022 from Musk, citing The Wall Street Journal.

Alternet - Alternet reported that Starlink’s slowdown affected Ukrainian military drones, airplanes, and helicopters traveling faster than 100 mph.

CNN - Republican groups relied heavily on super PACs, which pay higher advertising rates and made ad purchases later, when inventory was more limited; CNN reported Democratic advertising dollars were therefore going further.

CNN - Political spending also flowed through dark-money groups, nonprofits, and shell companies, which have more limited disclosure requirements and can be difficult to trace.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 13:20 UTC)

Elon Musk’s political spending has topped $400 million, making him the election cycle’s largest disclosed individual donor, as major super PACs pour billions into congressional races and the contest for control of Congress. Musk also said Ukraine had violated Starlink’s rules by using the service for offensive drone strikes, while reports said a slowdown disrupted Ukrainian operations and the White House ordered service restored; the system’s status remained uncertain. Musk threatened critics, including Robert Reich, who said he would keep criticizing Musk’s Starlink decisions and campaigning for Democrats.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 03:06 UTC)

Elon Musk, the election cycle’s largest disclosed donor, has given more than $400 million to political causes, much of it supporting Republicans, as super PACs and less transparent groups channel billions into the midterms. Musk also said Ukraine had violated Starlink’s rules by using the service for offensive drone strikes; reports said a slowdown disrupted Ukrainian forces, and the White House ordered service restored, though its operational status remained uncertain. Musk has threatened to target people he says are directing attacks against him, while members of Congress are seeking answers about his role in national security and his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 22:05 UTC)

Elon Musk has spent more than $400 million on U.S. elections as of mid-October, making him the largest single disclosed donor in the cycle, with much of his money supporting Republicans and helping back Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign. Republican-aligned groups have raised more than $540 million, while the Democratic Senate Majority PAC brought in a record $354 million, and President Trump’s political operation says it plans to spend $400 million to help Republicans retain control of Congress. Musk is also facing scrutiny over his influence on national security decisions after saying Starlink restrictions were imposed on Ukraine’s use of the service for offensive drone strikes, while lawmakers seek to compel him to testify.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 16:10 UTC)

Elon Musk has emerged as the election cycle’s largest disclosed donor, giving more than $400 million by mid-October, including $158 million to the main Republican Senate super PAC, as political groups have raised more than $16 billion overall. President Trump’s political operation says it is on track to spend $400 million to help Republicans hold congressional majorities, while Democratic groups have also raised record sums and both sides are using super PACs and less transparent organizations to fund campaigns and advertising. Separately, Musk said Ukraine’s military violated Starlink’s terms by using the service for offensive drone strikes and that he closed a loophole, while reports said service for Ukrainian forces was slowed and later ordered restored; Democrats and some Republicans in Congress are seeking answers and want Musk to testify about national security decisions.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 15:34 UTC)

More than $16 billion has been raised for the election cycle, with much of it flowing through political action committees, and Elon Musk is the largest disclosed donor, giving more than $400 million. Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, while Republican and Democratic super PACs have raised more than $540 million and a record $354 million, respectively. President Trump’s political operation says it is on track to spend $400 million to help Republicans keep congressional majorities, as political money also flows through less transparent groups and AI-generated ads portray events that never happened.