Elon Musk Is Firing Up the Vote-Buying Machine Again

Elon Musk has sent conflicting messages over the past year about politics, at one point getting so frustrated with Donald Trump that he pledged to start his own political party. That idea went nowhere fast, and he claimed he would back off from any political spending in the future. But that was a lie.

The SpaceX CEO is ready to really throw his weight around for the midterm elections in November. Musk has authorized his super PAC to spend as much as $120 million helping Republicans, according to a new report from the New York Times. In May, it was reported Musk had already spent $85 million on this cycle, making him the third-largest donor for the midterms to that point.

Musk’s PAC, known as America PAC, will focus on the so-called ground game, knocking on doors and helping drive voter turnout, according to the Times and previous reporting by Axios. America PAC will be coordinating with other Republican groups and will first target U.S. Senate races in five states: Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, and Ohio.

Discussions about also helping knock doors for the Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas are ongoing, according to the Times. And there will also be a presence for U.S. House races in California, Wisconsin, and Washington, among others. Chris Young, considered to be Musk’s top political advisor, will lead the efforts. Young worked on Musk’s DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk spent nearly $300 million to help elect Republicans like President Trump during the 2024 elections, which bought him the opportunity to establish DOGE. Musk and his young goons (remember Big Balls?) took a chainsaw to the federal government, unlawfully dissolving USAID and helping cut the federal workforce by about 300,000 people.

The damage to foreign aid and public health was incalculable, though some people have put some numbers to the estimated death toll. At least 750,000 people have died, though Musk denies that fact in the face of overwhelming evidence.

Musk’s PAC fueled door-knocking initiatives in swing states during the 2024 election, helping Trump secure a victory over Kamala Harris. But it remains to be seen whether Musk’s money can help get more pro-Trump candidates over the finish line to make sure Republicans retain control of Congress.

Elon Musk gives $1,000,000 to a Wisconsin voter, Ekaterina Diestler, during a town hall meeting he was hosting at the KI Convention Center on March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. © Getty

In Michigan, Mike Rogers is the presumptive Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate race, but there’s a brutal fight on the Democratic side between lefty progressive Abdul El-Sayed and establishment favorite Haley Stevens. El-Sayed is leading 54% to 39%, according to a new poll from Emerson published Thursday.

In the Alaska race for U.S. Senate, Democratic challenger Mary Peltola is facing Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The latest polling shows that race is a toss-up.

In Iowa, Republican Joni Ernst is retiring, which has left an open Senate seat. Republican Ashley Hinson is facing off against Democrat Josh Turek. The latest polling has Hinson ahead 48% to 46% among likely voters, according to the Des Moines Register.

The U.S. Senate race in Maine was thrown into chaos after Democrat Graham Platner was forced out over sexual assault allegations, which he denies. Troy Jackson was elected to become the new Democratic candidate last week, and he will face off against Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November. Jackson’s presence in the race is so new that it’s hard to take any poll at face value yet, though he’s performed about even with Collins in some of the latest surveys.

Part of Musk’s efforts to influence the 2024 election was to hand out $1 million checks to potential voters. Musk largely escaped consequences for literally trying to buy votes, though Wisconsin could still bring criminal charges if authorities decide to bring them. We wouldn’t be surprised to see similar shenanigans in the midterms, though there’s no word yet on whether Musk has any plans along those lines.

Musk wouldn’t even need to offer $1 million to be effective at influencing elections. All you’d need is to hyper-target reliably Republican areas with much smaller sums of money.

Trump’s approval ratings are in the toilet, which means many Republicans might just stay home. Would you make the time to vote if you were promised a few thousand or even a few hundred dollars? Many Americans likely would, even if it’s illegal. But Musk proved you can do blatantly illegal shit if you’re rich enough and hedge with the right words.

On paper, Musk wasn’t paying for votes. He was paying for people to sign a petition promoting free speech or against activist judges. And it wouldn’t be a shock if he tried some version of that again.