Story perspectives

Musk backs Paxton as spending tops $500 million

By Drooid · Oct 21, 2026, 10:32 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Ken Paxton Senate Run

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is running for U.S. Senate as campaign spending tops $500 million.
Elon Musk endorsed Ken Paxton on X and gave $276 million to Republican super PACs.
Outside groups spent $239 million for Ken Paxton versus $45 million by Democratic groups.
Democratic candidate James Talarico (D) raised $64 million from July to September.
Polls show James Talarico holding a narrow lead within the margin of error.

Summary

Gina Hinojosa Lawsuit

Gina Hinojosa filed a lawsuit on Oct. 19 demanding full Abbott-Musk email records.
She alleges Governor Abbott granted Elon Musk $1.6 billion in tax breaks for the Terafab semiconductor project.
The governor’s office blocked most records, citing attorney-client, deliberative-process, and competitive-business privileges.
Only about 200 of 1,374 pages were released unredacted, leaving most correspondence hidden.
Press secretary Andrew Mahaleris called the lawsuit “baseless” and a “political stunt.”

History

Historical Context

The 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, joined by the D.C. Circuit’s SpeechNow.org decision, removed limits on corporate independent expenditures and spawned super PACs. Independent spending surged from $140 million in 2008 to over $1 billion by 2012 and $4.2 billion by 2024, fueling Republican-favored spending such as Elon Musk-backed super PACs contributing $276 million in 2023 and Ken Paxton’s $500 million Senate race.

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Ken Paxton Senate Run

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is running for U.S. Senate as campaign spending tops $500 million.
Elon Musk endorsed Ken Paxton on X and gave $276 million to Republican super PACs.
Outside groups spent $239 million for Ken Paxton versus $45 million by Democratic groups.
Democratic candidate James Talarico (D) raised $64 million from July to September.
Polls show James Talarico holding a narrow lead within the margin of error.

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