Updated Jan. 19, 2026, 10:33 a.m. ET
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a key supporter of President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign, has turned his attention to the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the nation’s Capitol.
Musk recently donated $10 million to a PAC supporting Republican Senate candidate Nate Morris, according to a source close to the campaign. Morris is one of three frontrunners in the GOP primary, along with U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s former attorney general and the party’s nominee in the 2023 gubernatorial race.
Musk’s $10 million contribution last week was to Fight for Kentucky, a PAC backing Morris in the race. The donation was first reported by Axios on Jan. 19.
Musk was a big contributor to Trump’s reelection efforts in 2024, pumping more than $200 million into the race through his America PAC, and later worked with the administration through its Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative aimed at cutting federal spending and regulations.
Musk has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Trump since his work with the administration ended. The pair publicly reconciled in September at a memorial service for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, though, and Musk met last week with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at a SpaceX facility. Musk owns that aerospace company along with Tesla, the automotive company, and X, the social media company previously named Twitter.
Kirk visited Kentucky last June for Morris’ first public campaign event and was the last candidate he endorsed before his killing in September.
Musk and Morris spoke recently, the source said, where the candidate talked about his background — he founded Rubicon Technologies, a trash and recycling services company that he took public on the New York Stock Exchange before stepping down as chairman in 2023 — and about his push to turn the page on McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate since 1985 but has rankled some Republicans over his differences with Trump over the years.
Most polling has shown Morris is trailing Cameron, who came into the race with a lead in name recognition, and Barr, who’s been in Congress since 2013 and has more than $6 million on hand in his campaign account. Morris made a fortune through Rubicon and has the ability to self-fund his campaign — while 2025 year-end numbers are not yet public, the New York Post reported Morris has about $1.5 million in his campaign account and has made separate personal donations of $3 million and $1.4 million.
Trump has not offered an endorsement in the race. Morris is friends with Vice President JD Vance and has support from right-wing voices such as Donald Trump Jr. and Steve Bannon.
The primary is set for May 19, with the general election to take place in November. Democrats have several candidates running, though the eventual Republican nominee is expected to be a heavy favorite to retain the seat.
This story may be updated.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Sign up for the On Kentucky Politics newsletter.
