The midterms are (principally) behind us. We’re nonetheless ready on outcomes from a bunch of races, together with senate races in Mississippi and Alaska. Regardless of that, there are two undisputed information. This was a hell of an incredible election for Democrats and a very unhealthy one for “darkish MAGA” acolyte Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO spent practically $500 million to elect Republican candidates, in accordance with FEC filings reported on by Forbes.
Musk was the election’s single largest particular person donor by an enormous margin, dwarfing the second-place billionaire couple Dick and Liz Uihlein by greater than an element of three. He did not appear to get so much in return on his funding, which can probably end in some indignant and weird posts on X all through the approaching days, weeks, months and years.
Guess my election-interfering house lasers did not work this time 🤷♂️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2026
A lot of his cash was spent in his adopted dwelling of Texas. All advised, Musk funneled round $225 million to the area, in accordance with a report by CNBC. The Lone Star State issued a surprising rebuke of Musk and his chosen candidates. A senate seat and the governorship each flipped blue, with enormous margins. The identical might be mentioned of quite a few home seats and a lot of state congressional seats. Musk most likely would’ve been higher served spending that cash on one other automobile that jumps like a cricket.
Musk additionally despatched lots of money to a lot of Tremendous PACs and particular candidates all through the nation. He put his assist behind Republicans in 106 Home and Senate races. As of proper now, 18 of these individuals have gained they usually had been primarily in extraordinarily secure purple areas. He misplaced 45 races and one other 43 are but to be known as, although many are leaning Dem.
Elon Musk dropped practically half a billion {dollars} on the midterms.
98% of the cash he spent on particular candidates went to losers. pic.twitter.com/NvaHP4cwJx
— Steve Rattner (@SteveRattner) November 4, 2026
Some huge losses for Musk occurred in states like Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa and, nicely, nearly in all places else. These numbers will shift as extra elections get known as.
He was frantic main as much as the election, decrying {that a} Democrat win would sign “the top of democracy in any significant sense of the phrase.” He was additionally adamant that Senate-elect James Talarico in Texas would “trans your children.”
It is superb the distinction two years could make. Simply 22 months in the past, Musk was the happiest billionaire of all. He was handing out “Roman salutes” with reckless abandon and gutting essential authorities companies with glee. All events have to finish someday. Nevertheless, we should not really feel too unhealthy for the CEO. Elon Musk is at present price round $898 billion. He has sufficient cash to place an identical thumb on the dimensions for the following, uh, 2,000 election cycles.
