Democratic Texas senator-elect James Talarico won the most expensive Senate election in history, defeating Republican Ken Paxton by more than 12 points. The victory marked the first time a Democrat has won a Texas Senate seat since 1988. The midterm elections also saw a flip in the governor's seat, as Democrat Gina Hinojosa ousted Republican incumbent Greg Abbott.
Elon Musk was the largest donor in the 2026 election cycle in American history, reportedly spending more than $445 million to support Republicans. A significant portion of this funding was directed toward his home state of Texas. Musk funneled more than $168 million to super PACs supporting Paxton, while his own America PAC spent $34.7 million of the $216 million he provided to it in Texas. In total, Musk spent more than $200 million on a single state.
Talarico framed the election as a "top versus bottom" struggle between the ultrarich and the rest of the population. He argued that Musk’s donations to Abbott and Paxton highlighted wealth inequality during an economic crisis driven by inflation, tariffs, and the war against Iran. Talarico claimed at an El Paso rally in late October that Musk was "trying to buy this Senate seat," asserting that Musk was responsible for the attack ads, mailers, and text messages voters received.
Paxton’s campaign received only $22.3 million in direct donations from voters, compared to the $146 million Talarico raised. To compensate, Musk’s funding flooded the state with anti-Talarico advertisements. According to an analysis by 19th News, many of these ads, including one costing between $15,000 and $20,000, focused on culture war issues such as transgender people.
While Musk endorsed Paxton on X, he did not take on a public surrogate role, avoiding rallies or public appearances. The report notes a mutually beneficial relationship between the two: Paxton, who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015 (except for a brief period in 2023 following an impeachment), has launched investigations into organizations that criticize Musk. These probes followed Musk’s own legal actions against Media Matters and an advertising federation.
