Musk cash helps GOP Senate PAC raise record $273 million
The Senate Leadership Fund reported raising a record $272.9 million from July through September, according to a Federal Election Commission filing released Thursday. The Republican super PAC ended the quarter with more than $155 million in cash, positioning it for the final weeks of the Nov. 3 midterm election. Elon Musk provided the bulk of the donor funds, contributing $158 million in September through an affiliated Texas political action committee created to support Ken Paxton. His two separate contributions of $75 million and $83 million rank among the largest political donations in history.
The Senate Leadership Fund reported raising a record $272.9 million from July through September, according to a Federal Election Commission filing released Thursday. The Republican super PAC ended the quarter with more than $155 million in cash, positioning it for the final weeks of the Nov. 3 midterm election. Elon Musk provided the bulk of the donor funds, contributing $158 million in September through an affiliated Texas political action committee created to support Ken Paxton. His two separate contributions of $75 million and $83 million rank among the largest political donations in history.
The SLF’s total intake of $272.9 million included $209.7 million from donors. This figure shattered the group’s previous quarterly records, which stood at roughly $216 million in the final three months of 2020. The group had previously raised nearly $116 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $111 million in 2022. In 2020, when the organization filed monthly reports, it took in roughly $157 million from July through September.
Musk’s individual contribution exceeded the total third-quarter fundraising of the Democratic Senate Majority PAC. That super PAC reported raising a record $151 million during the same period and finished September with $111.8 million in cash, a quarterly record for the group. The Senate Majority PAC’s specific FEC filings for the period are not yet available.
The influx of funds provides Republicans with a financial cushion as they work to maintain their 53-seat Senate majority. The SLF has reallocated resources in response to shifting competitive dynamics. The group paused additional advertising in North Carolina this month after spending more than $30 million there, according to AdImpact data. It redirected those resources toward Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a competitive challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton.
In Nebraska, the SLF has committed $15 million to defend Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, including $7 million directed through the affiliated Cornhusker Majority, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Donald Trump carried Nebraska by more than 20 percentage points in 2024.
The super PAC has also played a central role in the Texas Senate race, where Democrat James Talarico has turned what was expected to be a safe Republican contest into one of the most expensive races in the country. According to AdImpact data, Republican groups allocated approximately $122 million to Texas advertising in September and held another $66 million in reserved ad inventory through Election Day at the start of October.
Talarico announced Thursday that he raised $64 million in the third quarter, marking the largest third-quarter haul on record for a Senate candidate. His opponent, Ken Paxton, raised $10.2 million according to an FEC filing.