2026-09-05T10:30:30.144Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/05/politics/musk-america-pac-texas-paxton
数月来，得克萨斯州共和党人一直焦急等待全国性资源涌入，以助力共和党最脆弱的参议院候选人之一肯·帕克斯顿。
如今，全球首富埃隆·马斯克已加入这场支持行动。本周，他披露了其超级政治行动委员会为支持帕克斯顿投入的首批资金，这让共和党人燃起希望，认为大量资金很快就会涌入，帮助这位得克萨斯州总检察长克服与民主党对手詹姆斯·塔拉里科之间的巨额资金缺口。包括与特德·克鲁兹参议员相关联的超级政治行动委员会在内的其他团体，也已开始加大对帕克斯顿的支持力度。
但马斯克的“美国政治行动委员会”（America PAC）与众不同，其资金主要来自这位亿万富翁本人。马斯克已成为影响美国政坛的最大个人捐赠者之一，更是得克萨斯州政坛的重要角色。
该政治行动委员会的行动表明，这场得克萨斯州竞选是其优先事项之一，该委员会计划投入巨额资金以影响中期选举的结果。一位与该委员会在得州有过接触的人士透露，他们正在招聘人员，以开展他们认为是该州大规模的选民动员行动。
马斯克超级政治行动委员会的官员尚未披露他们打算为支持帕克斯顿的竞选投入多少资金。但未参与“美国政治行动委员会”的得克萨斯州共和党幕僚表示，将得州作为其不断扩张的企业帝国基地的马斯克，全力支持帕克斯顿合情合理。
“从商业利益、他正在进行的长期投资来看，马斯克的政治团队绝不希望后院出现民主党人。”该州共和党战略家马特·兰斯顿说道，“他们会投入资金，大举介入。”
政治行动委员会的官员表示，推动其决策的是政治考量，而非商业考量。
在给CNN的一份声明中，“美国政治行动委员会”发言人安德鲁·罗密欧表示，马斯克的团队“正在与整个共和党机构全面协调，将资金投入到将决定参众两院控制权归属的州和选区”。
“我们唯一的优先事项是确保共和党全面掌控华盛顿，阻止疯狂的左翼将我们带回边境开放、犯罪猖獗和‘觉醒’政策盛行的时代。”
CNN也已联系帕克斯顿的竞选团队置评。
马斯克与得克萨斯州渊源深厚，他已将旗下多家企业的总部迁至该州。特斯拉和太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）正参与一项合资项目，在休斯顿郊外开发大型芯片制造工厂Terafab。
作为总检察长，帕克斯顿启动了针对X平台等广告抵制活动的调查，而就在数月前，马斯克起诉了一群广告商和大型企业，指控他们合谋非法将广告从X平台撤下。
但马斯克的盟友也曾在法庭上与帕克斯顿对峙，此前帕克斯顿下令，根据得州公开记录法，与Starbase（近期注册成立的得克萨斯州城镇，也是SpaceX总部所在地）运营相关的某些记录必须公开。
今年7月，马斯克在接受州长格雷格·阿博特的电台采访时表示，他“热爱”得克萨斯州及其友好的商业环境。
“这是一个做生意的好州，环境极具支持性，我认为它真正体现了美国的价值观。”马斯克在替电台主持人肖恩·汉尼蒂代班的阿博特采访中说道，“我喜欢待在这里，也以自己是得州人为荣。”
在本届选举周期中，马斯克还通过其他方式加深了与得克萨斯州的政治联系。
他向“得克萨斯州诉讼改革组织”捐赠了300万美元，这是该州颇具影响力的侵权改革团体。他还向“司法公平政治行动委员会”捐赠了200万美元，该委员会致力于帮助共和党候选人当选司法职位。此外，他还向该州三大最高级别官员——阿博特、副州长丹·帕特里克和州众议院议长达斯汀·巴罗斯——各捐赠了六位数金额的款项。
与此同时，他的一名律师克里斯·戈伯有望明年进入国会。戈伯于今年3月在得克萨斯州中部一个 strongly 倾向共和党的开放众议院席位的共和党初选中获胜。
一些共和党人表达了不满，称在有争议的帕克斯顿在总统唐纳德·特朗普的背书帮助下击败现任共和党参议员约翰·康宁，赢得党内初选后，在深红州得克萨斯州捍卫参议院席位的成本飙升。
民主党人只需净增4个席位即可拿下美国参议院的控制权。
帕克斯顿近年来面临一系列丑闻，包括2023年被得克萨斯州众议院弹劾，罪名是贿赂和腐败。随后他在州参议院被判所有指控不成立。
共和党领导人公开呼吁特朗普动用其“让美国再次伟大公司”（MAGA Inc.）战争 chest 中约4亿美元的部分资金支持帕克斯顿。
“我认为我们所有的盟友，包括总统及其团队，都需要将他们的资源投入到得克萨斯州。”参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩本周早些时候在福克斯新闻上说道。
“让美国再次伟大公司”的官员一直拒绝透露该超级政治行动委员会的中期选举战略。特朗普在周五的讲话中表示，他计划将部分现金储备投向“我认为是优秀共和党人”以及“能够获胜或胜算在握的人”。
然而，在数周落后于对手后，帕克斯顿阵营如今在电视广告投放上获得了更多支持。
根据追踪政治广告的AdImpact的数据，以支持帕克斯顿的“孤星自由政治行动委员会”为首的共和党外围团体本周合计投入1100万美元用于广告宣传，远超塔拉里科竞选团队投入的约400万美元。
这与8月形成鲜明对比，当时民主党在该竞选活动中投入了1330万美元广告费用，而共和党仅为470万美元。
前得克萨斯州共和党主席詹姆斯·迪基如今经营着一家政府事务公司，他坚称围绕帕克斯顿竞选活动的资金担忧被夸大了。他指出，近年来有几位资金充裕的民主党人曾试图在得克萨斯州赢得全州性职位，但均以失败告终。
“历史上不乏这样的例子：资金是必要条件，但不足以赢得选举。”他说道，“没有理由认为总检察长帕克斯顿不会获得足够的资金。”
周四晚间，马斯克的政治行动委员会报告称已为15名众议院和参议院候选人投入约84万美元。这笔金额不算多，但考虑到马斯克承诺在特朗普任期的最后两年帮助共和党保留对国会的控制权，预计未来几周这笔支出将大幅增长。
其中近25万美元用于支持帕克斯顿，占“美国政治行动委员会”首批针对候选人的支出份额最大，但随着该委员会加大投入，这一比例可能会发生变化。
周五晚间，该委员会披露又为中期选举投入了290万美元，其中近一半用于得克萨斯州的竞选。
马斯克在国会竞选活动中的早期资金投入用于印刷费用，这表明这些资金将用于邮寄宣传品或其他政治宣传材料，以直接接触选民。
此外，“美国政治行动委员会”还在关键战场州投入了数字广告，但这些支出主要用于提高目标选民的登记率，而非为个别候选人造势。其中一则广告告诉脸书的得州用户，“你们州可能会改变参议院的控制权”，并鼓励他们立即查看自己的选民登记状态。
“美国政治行动委员会”新一轮的活动标志着马斯克与共和党人重新建立密切联系，距离这位亿万富翁与特朗普决裂并威胁组建自己的政党已过去一年多。此后他与总统重归于好，组建第三党的想法也不了了之。
共和党人表示，他们热切期待这位亿万富翁在全国范围内大手笔投入，但私下里希望他在秋季竞选期间保持低调。他短暂担任联邦政府效率部部长期间家喻户晓，也让受该部门裁员影响的联邦工作人员视其为反派。
“我认为他从在联邦政府效率部的经历中学到了很多。”一位参与中期选举的共和党战略家说道，他认为马斯克今年秋天将更多地退居幕后。这位人士还称赞马斯克的政治团队——由曾指导该委员会2024年竞选活动的资深幕僚克里斯·杨领导——是“真正的专业人士”。
2024年选举中，马斯克斥资近3亿美元支持特朗普和共和党人，其中大部分用于在关键战场州建立地面竞选团队以动员选民。但他去年高调试图扭转威斯康星州最高法院的多数党控制权的行动却适得其反，他支持的共和党候选人以10个百分点的差距输给了民主党人。
“我认为我在政治上投入得太多了，坦率地说，有些过头了。”马斯克在7月接受《经济学人》采访时，谈及他在联邦政府效率部的任期时说道。
民主党人表示，他们将通过将马斯克打造成战场选举中的众矢之的，来应对预计会到来的资金猛攻。
“埃隆·马斯克极具争议性，是美国最不受欢迎的人物之一。”众议院多数党政治行动委员会（美国众议院主要民主党超级政治行动委员会）的通讯主任CJ·沃克告诉CNN，“正如我们在2025年威斯康星州看到的那样，今年秋天他将成为任何共和党竞选活动的拖累。”
这一策略本周已初见端倪。
在马斯克的政治行动委员会披露首批支出后的第二天，民主党国会竞选委员会发布了一份新闻稿，点名了几位从马斯克的资金中获益的众议院共和党人。该委员会称，共和党议员正依赖亿万富翁捐赠者“搭救他们”。
CNN的大卫·赖特对本报道亦有贡献。
Musk has started spending money to help Ken Paxton. Will it help change the course of the Texas Senate race?
2026-09-05T10:30:30.144Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/05/politics/musk-america-pac-texas-paxton
For months, Texas Republicans have anxiously awaited the arrival of national resources to help boost Ken Paxton, one of the GOP’s most vulnerable Senate candidates.
Now, Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has entered the scene, this week disclosing the first spending from his super PAC to benefit Paxton and raising GOP hopes that the floodgates soon will open wide to help the Texas attorney general overcome a deep financial deficit with his Democratic rival James Talarico. Other groups, including a super PAC associated with Sen. Ted Cruz, also have begun to step up their activity on Paxton’s behalf.
Musk’s America PAC, however, stands apart because it is largely funded by the billionaire himself who has become one of the biggest individual donors shaping US politics — and a major player in Texas politics specifically.
With its activity, the PAC has signaled the Texas contest is one of its priorities as it plans massive spending to shape the outcome of the midterms. One person who has spoken to the group in Texas says they are hiring for what they believe to be an expansive turnout operation in the state.
Officials with the Musk super PAC have not disclosed how much they intend to spend to aid Paxton’s bid. But Texas Republican operatives who are not involved with America PAC said it makes sense that Musk, who has made Texas the base of his growing corporate empire, would want to go all in for Paxton.
“The business interests, the long-term investment that he is making, the Musk operation politically does not need to have a Democrat in their backyard,” said Matt Langston, a GOP strategist in the state. “They will invest. They will get involved in a big way.”
PAC officials indicated that political rather than business considerations are driving their decision-making.
In a statement to CNN, America PAC spokesman Andrew Romeo said the Musk group “is working in full coordination with the entire GOP apparatus and investing in the states and districts that will decide control of the House and Senate.”
“Our only priority is ensuring Republicans keep full control of Washington and stopping the lunatic left from bringing us back to the days of open borders, rampant crime and woke policies.”
CNN also has reached out to Paxton’s campaign for comment.
Musk has deep ties to Texas, relocating several of his businesses’ headquarters to the state. Tesla and SpaceX are part of a joint venture developing Terafab, a massive chipmaking factory outside Houston.
As attorney general, Paxton launched an investigation of advertising boycotts on platforms such as X, several months after Musk sued a group of advertisers and major companies accusing them of illegally conspiring to pull their ads from X.
But Musk’s allies also have sparred in court with Paxton over his orders that certain records tied to operations of Starbase, the recently incorporated Texas town that is home to SpaceX, must be publicly released under the state’s open records law.
Musk said during a radio interview with Gov. Greg Abbott in July that he “love(s)” Texas and its friendly business climate.
“It’s a great state to do business in. It’s super supportive and, I think, really emblematic of American values,” Musk told Abbott, who was filling in for radio host Sean Hannity. “I love being here and I love being a Texan.”
Musk has deepened his political ties to Texas in other ways this election cycle.
He has given $3 million to Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the state’s powerful tort reform group. He has also donated $2 million to the Judicial Fairness PAC, which works to elect GOP candidates for judicial positions. And he has made six-figure contributions to each of the state’s top three leaders: Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
Meanwhile, one of his lawyers, Chris Gober, is on track to join Congress next year. Gober won a Republican primary in March for an open House seat in Central Texas that strongly favors the GOP.
Some Republicans have voiced frustration that the cost of defending a Senate seat in deep-red Texas skyrocketed after the controversial Paxton toppled incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn in the primary, aided by President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Democrats need a net gain of just four seats to flip the US Senate.
Paxton has confronted an array of scandals in recent years, including a 2023 impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives over allegations of bribery and corruption. He was later acquitted of all the charges by the state Senate.
Republican leaders are openly calling for Trump to deploy some of the roughly $400 million sitting in his MAGA Inc. war chest to help Paxton.
“I think all of our allies out there, including the president and his team and their resources, need to be brought to bear on Texas,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Fox News earlier this week.
Officials with MAGA Inc. have consistently declined to telegraph the super PAC’s midterm strategy. In remarks Friday, Trump indicated that he planned to direct some of his cash reserves to “people that I think are good Republicans” and “can win or are closing to winning.”
Paxton’s side, however, is getting more help on the airwaves now, after weeks of lagging behind his rival.
Republican outside groups, led by the pro-Paxton Lone Star Liberty PAC, are spending a combined $11 million on advertising this week, swamping the roughly $4 million coming from Talarico’s campaign, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks political commercials.
That’s in sharp contrast to August when Democrats spent $13.3 million in advertising in the race to Republicans’ $4.7 million.
James Dickey, a former Texas Republican Party chairman who now runs a government affairs firm, insists that the money concerns swirling around Paxton’s candidacy are overblown, pointing to several well-funded Democrats who have tried and fail to win statewide office in Texas in recent years.
“History is replete with examples that money is necessary but not sufficient to win an election,” he said. “There is no reason to believe that Attorney General Paxton will not have enough funds.”
On Thursday night, the Musk PAC reported spending roughly $840,000 to benefit 15 House and Senate candidates, a modest sum that is expected to grow dramatically in the weeks ahead, given Musk’s commitment to help Republicans retain control of Congress during Trump’s final two years in office.
Nearly $250,000 of the sum backed Paxton, the biggest share of America PAC’s first tranche of candidate-focused spending, but those proportions could change as the committee ramps up its spending.
On Friday night, the group disclosed spending another $2.9 million on midterm races, nearly half of it going toward the contest in Texas.
The early Musk money across congressional races has gone to printing expenses, signaling its use for direct outreach to voters in the form of mailings or other political literature.
Separately, America PAC also invested in digital advertising in key battlegrounds, although that spending has focused on boosting registration among targeted voters, rather than advocating for individual candidates. One such ad tells Facebook users in Texas that “your state could flip control of the Senate” and encourages them to check their registration status now.
America PAC’s new burst of activity marks a significant Musk reengagement with Republicans, more than a year after the billionaire broke with Trump and threatened to start his own political party. He has since reconciled with the president, and the third-party idea fizzled.
Republicans say they are eager to see the billionaire spend big across the country but privately hope he maintains a lower profile during the fall campaign. His brief tenure overseeing the federal Department of Government Efficiency made him a household name and a villain among a federal workforce affected by the DOGE cuts.
“I think he has learned a lot from his experience at DOGE,” said one Republican strategist involved in the midterms who believes Musk will remain more in the background this fall. The person also praised Musk’s political team — headed by a Chris Young, an experienced operative who directed the PAC’s 2024 effort — as “real pros.”
In the 2024 election, Musk spent nearly $300 million boosting Trump and Republicans, much of it aimed at building a ground game in key battlegrounds to turn out voters. But his high-profile effort last year to flip majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court backfired. The Republican he supported lost by 10 percentage points to the Democrat.
“I think I got a little too involved in politics. I got carried away, frankly,” Musk said during a July interview with The Economist, reflecting on his DOGE tenure.
Democrats say they will respond to the expected fundraising onslaught by seeking to make Musk a lightning rod in battleground races.
“Elon Musk is toxic and one of the most unpopular figures in America,” CJ Warnke, communications director for House Majority PAC, the main House Democratic super PAC, told CNN. “As we saw in Wisconsin in 2025, he will be a drag on any Republican campaign this fall.”
That strategy was already on display this week.
A day after the first spending disclosures by Musk’s PAC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee blasted out a news release, singling out several House Republicans benefiting from Musk’s money. Republican lawmakers, it said, were relying on billionaire donors “to rescue them.”
CNN’s David Wright contributed to this report.