Elon Musk’s Super Pac has spent more than $۵۰۰,۰۰۰ in New York’s highly competitive ۱۷th congressional district race to help Mike Lawler, the Republican incumbent, hold on to his seat.
Lawler, a moderate Republican, is fending off a challenge from Democrat Cait Conley in the Hudson valley. It is among the most-watched races that could determine whether Republicans hold on to their majority in Congress.
America Pac, the Super Pac founded by Musk, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last year to boost Lawler’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Most of that spending has funded voter outreach efforts such as texting, printing, and postage and digital media-related services. Gothamist was the first to report on Musk’s spending.
Musk, the Republicans’ largest donor so far this midterm cycle, has spent millions of dollars on conservative candidates. Since the beginning of July, Musk has funneled $۲۷۶m into Republican groups and America Pac, the New York Times reported earlier this month.
The funding is helping push Republican candidates to the finish line as they try to convince disgruntled voters to back the conservative party again. Polling shows Republican candidates are at a slight disadvantage this cycle because many have grown frustrated with the cost of living under Donald Trump.
America Pac’s spending on Lawler’s race is notable because Musk’s Pac spent more than $۲m to help re-elect Lawler in ۲۰۲۴.
Conley, Lawler’s Democratic opponent, and the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has accused Lawler of protecting Musk rather than regulating artificial intelligence.
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“AI poses a very real threat to the safety and security of the American people, and it’s long past time that Congress took action to regulate it,” Conley wrote on X. “But Mike Lawler is standing in the way, because he’s looking out for his trillionaire backer Elon Musk.”
Ciro Riccardi, Lawler’s campaign manager, told Gothamist that they had “no say over what America PAC or any other outside group spends in this race” – referencing a law that prohibits campaigns from coordinating directly with Super Pacs.
