Across Senate toss-up contests, Republicans have booked or spent $947 million on ads, while Democrats have spent $625 million, including future airtime reservations.

In Maine’s Senate race, about $200 million is being spent on advertising as Republicans push for Susan Collins’s sixth term against Troy Jackson, with roughly $114 million spent or reserved by Republicans and about $81 million by Democrats since January.

Nine closely contested Senate races show Republicans spending $233 million on broadcast TV in the past month, compared with $121 million by Democrats, per AdImpact data cited by TIME.

The piece highlights a broader pattern of wealth concentration in political spending, raising questions about influence, governance, and scrutiny of donors and their companies tied to government contracts and subsidies.

Musk’s online activity amplified the race, including social media posts disparaging Talarico and circulating unverified claims about his mental health, which drew swift responses from Talarico.

PACs and Super PACs differ: PACs cap direct candidate support, while Super PACs can raise unlimited funds for independent advertising, letting wealthy donors influence races through outside groups.

This spending marks a reversal from Musk’s earlier stance of spending less on politics and follows reconciliation with Donald Trump after a public dispute.

Musk has donated over $445 million to Republican political groups this election cycle, including more than $165 million to America PAC since July, making him the largest known individual donor in the midterms.

As the biggest individual donor to federal elections this cycle, Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund and moved a matching amount to Texas PAC, plus $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC; these funds flow through outside groups rather than directly to campaigns.

America PAC spent over $76 million in the first two weeks of October to back Republicans, with around $43 million in that period and nearly $47 million in cash on hand at period’s end.

Space policy angle: Silicon Valley Democrats highlighted Starshield satellite service restrictions in Ukraine, signaling increased congressional scrutiny of Musk-related ventures and federal funding.

Polling in Texas showed Talarico at 48% and Paxton at 46% among likely voters in Emerson College’s survey of 1,000 participants.