Musk's midterm spending fails as Texas candidates lose

Elon Musk spent nearly $500 million on the 2026 midterm elections, but his endorsed candidates lost, notably in his adopted home state of Texas, which went all blue. Musk posted on X that data centers in space look appealing and joked that his election-interfering space lasers did not work.

Analysts noted that while many states would welcome SpaceX and Tesla for economic growth, there is a distinction between the companies and Musk's political actions. Scott Galloway suggested that Texas should scrutinize sweetheart deals made by Governor Greg Abbott and that Musk should testify under oath about the throttling back of technology and the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency. Galloway also noted that if Musk receives a federal pardon, he may be unable to take the Fifth Amendment, potentially exposing him to state-level legal action.