德州联邦参议员选战：马斯克等金主投入数亿美元抢救 Ken Paxton
据路透社10月21日自 Houston 报道，距离11月3日大选仅剩两周、提前投票已经开始之际，马斯克等捐赠人正投入数亿美元，为共和党联邦参议员候选人、州总检察长 Ken Paxton 进行最后的抢救。这场 Paxton 对阵民主党人 James Talarico 的选战广告总支出已超过5亿美元，有望成为美国历史上最昂贵的联邦参议员选举。支持 Paxton 的外部团体已投入约2.39亿美元，是民主党阵营最大外部团体支出（约4500万美元）的五倍多；其中由参议院领导基金设立的 Texas PAC 一家就花了近1.49亿美元。马斯克已向参议院领导基金捐款1.58亿美元，相关款项随后转拨至 Texas PAC。
报道指出，民调显示未定选民所剩无几，共和党最大的挑战是动员本党选民投票——不少共和党选民对生活成本以及对伊朗的战争感到不满。得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校德州政治项目主任 James Henson 表示：「现在花的钱不是为了说服，而是为了动员。」州长 Greg Abbott 的首席顾问 Dave Carney 则称内部民调显示选民热情差距已大幅缩小。Talarico 靠草根筹款弥补外部支出的劣势：其竞选团队称7月至9月共筹得6400万美元，是 Paxton 的三倍多，其中97%的捐款低于100美元。
关联：FEC申报揭示马斯克1.58亿美元流向：经参议院领袖基金次日等额转入德州PAC 力挺帕克斯顿
Texas Senate Race: Musk and Other Donors Pour Hundreds of Millions Into Rescuing Ken Paxton
With two weeks to the Nov. 3 election and early voting under way, Elon Musk and other donors are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a late effort to rescue Republican Senate candidate and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, Reuters reported from Houston on Oct. 21. Combined advertising spending in the race between Paxton and Democrat James Talarico has topped $500 million, putting it on pace to become the most expensive U.S. Senate contest ever. Outside groups backing Paxton have spent about $239 million, more than five times the roughly $45 million from the largest Democratic-aligned groups; Texas PAC, launched by the Senate Leadership Fund, alone accounts for nearly $149 million. Musk has contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which transferred matching sums to Texas PAC.
Polls show few undecided voters remain, and Republicans say their biggest challenge is turnout, with many of their voters frustrated by the cost of living and the war with Iran. 'The money being spent now isn't for persuasion. It's for mobilization,' said James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. Dave Carney, chief adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott, said internal polling shows the enthusiasm gap has narrowed considerably. Talarico has offset the outside-spending gap with grassroots fundraising: his campaign says it raised $64 million from July through September, more than triple Paxton's total, with 97 percent of donations under $100.
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图片来源：Wikimedia Commons 公开授权图片（德克萨斯州议会大厦，资料图）
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