Billionaire Elon Musk has contributed $158 million in September to a super PAC that directly supports Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign for U.S. Senate, significantly bolstering Paxton’s finances in a high-stakes race against Democratic challenger James Talarico.

Federal campaign finance records released Thursday reveal that Musk, who resides in Austin and maintains sizable business interests in Texas, made two donations to the Senate Leadership Fund of $75 million on September 9 and $83 million on September 23. Each of these contributions was promptly transferred the following day to Texas PAC, a political action committee established by the Senate Leadership Fund specifically to back Paxton’s Senate bid.

While super PAC officials have stated publicly that the Texas PAC had secured other funding sources, experts note that without Musk’s historic donations—among the largest individual contributions ever recorded in U.S. politics—Paxton’s campaign would unlikely have received such a substantial infusion of resources. In addition to these transfers, Musk provided $10 million to a separate pro-Paxton super PAC used to fund television advertisements launching in late August.

The financial support comes as Paxton faces mounting fundraising challenges against Talarico, who has outraised the incumbent by a wide margin. Republicans have expressed growing concern over the race, which is one of the most expensive and closely watched statewide contests in Texas this election cycle. Democrats view an upset as possible, which would mark a rare loss for Republicans in statewide Texas elections after more than three decades of dominance.

Although Musk has not been publicly vocal in endorsing midterm candidates generally, nor regularly commenting on Republican nominees on his social media platform X, he has recently posted critical remarks about Talarico. In contrast, Paxton and Musk share a political alliance at the state level, with Paxton’s office overseeing regulatory matters affecting Musk’s businesses in Texas.

Meanwhile, Talarico has criticized the outsized influence of wealthy donors and billionaires in politics, implicitly referring to Musk’s financial backing. The escalating spending and deep-pocketed contributions reflect the intensified stakes of this Senate race as both campaigns seek to secure control of Congress and navigate shifting political dynamics in Texas.