- Elon Musk spent millions in Pennsylvania and camped in the state to donate to Trump.
- His senior PAC made a last-minute lobbying effort and pioneered untried sports strategies.
- Musk’s aggressive move could usher in a “new era” in campaign spending, a source told BI.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, made a controversial and controversial gamble on the biggest race in 2024, and it paid off. President-elect Donald Trump won Pennsylvania and, with it, another four years in the White House.
Between the murky financial system and the hustle and bustle of day-to-day operations, the number of Musk is effort in Keystone State it didn’t make sense. But it was big.
On July 13, Musk made his announcement support Trump on X, posting a video of the former president surviving attempted murder Butler County, PA.
Musk set up a war room of sorts in Pittsburgh and stayed the final weeks of the competition galavating across the state. He urged Pennsylvania voters to go to the polls in apocalyptic terms, telling them in late October that 2024 election it will determine “the future of European civilization.”
Musk spent more than $130 million on the election, much of it late in the game.
Musk’s Keystone State tour-de-force began on October 5, when he attended first campaign rally with Trump in Butler, PA. In addition to appearing close to Trump, Musk attended his events in Pennsylvania.
Between October 17 and October 20, they held four town halls in as many days across the state. On October 26, he hosted another town hall.
Musk attended a meeting with Trump in Butler, PA. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Tom Eddy, chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee, told BI the day after the election that Musk is the most popular person in the state, mainly because he has built successful companies.
“And these things can do very well for the American economy,” Eddy said, noting that the issue was important to many voters in his district who voted for Trump.
Much of Musk’s work in Pennsylvania was done through a super PAC he created, America PAC.
Under the new 2024 law, these outside groups can directly contact the campaign. The Trump campaign and America PAC signed a data-sharing agreement, which allowed them to target potential voters. For the most part, America PAC spent its money on advertising and digital marketing.
According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission in late October, Musk raised $119 million in his PAC, including $43.6 million in the first two weeks of October alone. As of October 16th, they have publicly revealed how they are using it a total of $130 million to support Trump and the Republicans, although donations made earlier in the day will not become public until late November. It is not yet known how much Musk has donated to “dark money” groups, which are non-profits that do not disclose their donors.
Musk, the Trump campaign, and the Harris campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The ground game was central to Musk’s efforts.
In Musk’s view, voter mobilization was key to winning Pennsylvania, and he focused on reaching low-income rural voters, the New York Times reported. He hired again Chris Younga Republican operative with extensive experience in field operations, to direct his political investments.
Campaigns and outside groups often spend months, if not years, developing a plan to mobilize voters. Some Democrats question America PAC’s efforts before Election Day.
“You have to get people. You have to educate people. You have to create and publish everything. You have to use data,” Daniel Fee, a Democratic strategist in Pennsylvania, told Business Insider before the election. “The field is not like, ‘I knocked on your door and now I’m done.’
He added, “If late fees were what you needed, that’s what anyone would do.”
America PAC spent most of its money on voter advocacy. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
But Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania Republican, told BI on Wednesday that Musk’s best efforts undoubtedly fell flat.
“Elon Musk was here last week for 10 days of the campaign and was instrumental in pushing President Trump to the finish line,” he said.
Republican leaders in Pennsylvania’s three largest states told Business Insider before the election that they were confident in America PAC’s efforts. Canvassers for America PAC knocked on nearly 2.3 million doors in Pennsylvania alone, the Times reported.
On Wednesday, Eddy said that while it’s hard to give credit to one person, Musk “obviously” helped shape Trump’s efforts.
Patricia Poprik, chairwoman of the Bucks County Republican Committee, said state Republicans are happy to have a leader on their side. “People are enjoying it, and they like to see him,” he said two days before the election.
Some Republican BI officials spoke to Poprik.
“It’s been kind of surreal, to be honest,” Christian Nascimento, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, said. “He is only one person.”
America PAC used unofficial, untested measures.
America PAC didn’t just rely on door-knocking — it also turned to new tactics, including some that put the group in legal jeopardy. PAC provided Pennsylvania registered users $100 to sign a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments, and another $100 to send another signer. Registered voters in other transfer states can get $47 for shipping.
At the American PAC event in Harrisburg, PA on October 19, Musk announced that he would be donating the award $1 million every day until November 5 to the voter who signed the petition. The first winner, John Dreher, was from Pennsylvania.
Musk’s request has raised legal questions in Pennsylvania and around the country. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Democrats and legal experts were quick to question whether the move violated the election law. The Department of Justice sent a warning letter to Musk and the Philadelphia District Attorney He tried a civil casecalling the request an “illegal lottery.”
Donald Green, a Columbia University professor who studies grassroots efforts, told BI that Musk’s project could usher in a “new era” of campaign finance.
“This opens up opportunities to do things that don’t pay people to vote, but pay people to do things that are close to the vote,” he told BI the day after the election.
As of October 29, America PAC had mailed more than 87,000 checks to people who sent signatories, according to a post from the organization on X.
Green told BI that the request was very useful for the information he collected, which was shared with the Trump campaign under the new election rules.
“If the take-home message from this campaign is that these types of building projects on the final list are effective, you can expect to see more of them,” Green said before the election. “I would say that the magic is not the request itself, but the creation of the series that follows.”
Musk’s work in Pennsylvania went back beyond state lines.
Musk’s last-minute effort in Pennsylvania had its problems beyond his bag. Now that Trump has won the White House, thanks to 19 Electoral College votes, Musk is standing for more power. The the president-elect put him in charge of the “Government Efficiency Commission” which oversees the agencies that run most of Musk’s businesses.
“If they lose, I’m disappointed,” Musk said on a podcast in early October.
Lucky for Musk, they are all him Trump came out on top — in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.