# Texas voters reject Musk-backed Republican spending in Senate race

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/for-trump-musk-and-farage-the-message-is-the-same-voters-dont-want-to-be-hijacked-by-billionaires-rafael-behr/
- Published: 2026-11-11T07:00:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T07:19:00+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/11/donald-trump-elon-musk-nigel-farage-voters-billionaires-midterms
- Topics: Americas, Business, Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- Musk’s midterm spending failed to deliver the results he wanted.
- Reform UK has received tens of millions from crypto billionaires.
- Donor influence may alienate voters, including some Reform supporters.

## Summary

Elon Musk’s spending to support Republican candidates in the US midterms appears to have backfired in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico won a Senate seat for the first time since 1988. The article argues that voters can react against wealthy donors’ attempts to shape democracy, a lesson that may matter as Reform UK receives large donations from cryptocurrency billionaires.

Musk reportedly spent $224m in Texas and another $250m on other races without securing the results he sought. In Britain, all parties and campaign organisations spent £94.5m in the year before the last general election; Reform UK has received £9m and £36m from Christopher Harborne, and £36m from Ben Delo. Farage is also under investigation over an unregistered £5m gift from Harborne, while polling cited in the article suggests concerns about his financial dealings may put off some potential Reform voters.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.