Texas Senate Race: Musk and Other Donors Pour Hundreds of Millions Into Rescuing Ken Paxton
With two weeks to the Nov. 3 election and early voting under way, Elon Musk and other donors are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a late effort to rescue Republican Senate candidate and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, Reuters reported from Houston on Oct. 21. Combined advertising spending in the race between Paxton and Democrat James Talarico has topped $500 million, putting it on pace to become the most expensive U.S. Senate contest ever. Outside groups backing Paxton have spent about $239 million, more than five times the roughly $45 million from the largest Democratic-aligned groups; Texas PAC, launched by the Senate Leadership Fund, alone accounts for nearly $149 million. Musk has contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which transferred matching sums to Texas PAC.
Polls show few undecided voters remain, and Republicans say their biggest challenge is turnout, with many of their voters frustrated by the cost of living and the war with Iran. 'The money being spent now isn't for persuasion. It's for mobilization,' said James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. Dave Carney, chief adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott, said internal polling shows the enthusiasm gap has narrowed considerably. Talarico has offset the outside-spending gap with grassroots fundraising: his campaign says it raised $64 million from July through September, more than triple Paxton's total, with 97 percent of donations under $100.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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