Billionaire Elon Musk has handed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a $5 million boost in the closing days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to new campaign finance filings disclosed Tuesday.
and The contribution helped power a massive fundraising haul for the Republican incumbent. Abbott brought in $26 million during a 30-day reporting period that ended Oct. 24, and at least $6 million of that came from Musk and other donors tied to the tech and data center industries, according to Politico.
The donation adds to an already historic run of political spending by the Tesla and SpaceX chief. Musk has spent more than $445 million on Republican groups and his own super PAC since July, making him the largest known donor of the midterm cycle, according to The New York Times. Political reporter Teddy Schleifer noted that Musk’s disclosed political giving this cycle now stands at roughly $475 million.
Much of that money has flowed into the Lone Star State’s high-stakes Senate contest. More than a third of Musk’s spending has gone toward boosting Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his race against Democrat James Talarico.
Musk has deep business ties to Texas. Tesla and X are both headquartered in the state, SpaceX operates a rocket facility on the Gulf Coast, and Tesla runs a sprawling auto plant in the Austin area. Musk had previously contributed $500,000 to Abbott’s campaign, and many of his companies depend on data centers.
Abbott’s donor list includes several other major tech and business names. The governor received $200,000 from the employee PAC of artificial intelligence company Anthropic and $300,000 from Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown, Politico reported. Dallas businessmen Harlan Crow and Ray Hunt, both involved in data center development, each gave $250,000.
Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa, a state representative, raised $17.5 million over the same period. Her haul included millions from labor unions and $1 million from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender. Hinojosa also accepted $150,000 from OpenAI investor Jessica Livingston, even as she has spent much of the campaign trying to tie Abbott to Musk and the tech industry.
Abbott has made no secret of his ambitions for the state, pledging to turn Texas into the epicenter of artificial intelligence development. Politico reported that his staff met in December with tech firms, power line builders and electricity officials just two days before the state’s main grid operator unveiled a framework for new data centers.
The governor has also moved to tap the brakes. Abbott ordered state agencies to temporarily pause permits for new data center projects, a decision Hinojosa dismissed as politically motivated.
The issue carries real weight with voters. A Texas Politics Project poll found 57% of registered voters in the state oppose building data centers.
Despite the Democratic cash surge, Abbott remains the favorite. He leads Hinojosa by an average of three points, according to RealClearPolling. Abbott won his last race in 2022 by 11 points, defeating former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke 54.8% to 43.8%.
Texans head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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