Elon Musk's Super PAC Pours at Least $500,000 Into Rep. Mike Lawler's Hudson Valley Re-Election Fight

Elon Musk's super PAC has spent at least $500,000 to help re-elect Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in a Hudson Valley race that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House, according to federal disclosure reports first reported by Gothamist.

The New York Post, citing Federal Election Commission filings, put the figure at $600,000 from Musk's America PAC in recent days. The New York Daily News also reported a boost of at least $500,000. Lawler, a two-term Republican, faces Democrat Cait Conley, an Army veteran and former counterterrorism official, in New York's 17th Congressional District.

Early voting in New York begins Saturday, Oct. 24, ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, the Daily News noted.

Where the Musk Money Is Going

Most of the money has gone to America PAC's voter canvassing and get-out-the-vote operations in the district, Gothamist reported, along with digital ads on Google, YouTube and Facebook. One ad shows Lawler in boxing gloves while a narrator says he "fights higher taxes, fights to lower taxes, fights to deport criminal illegal immigrants," according to Gothamist.

The Post reported that the filings show contracts to StoryTellers LLC for printing, postage and other messaging supporting Lawler and opposing Conley. Both Gothamist and the Post said the spending is likely to grow in the final days of the campaign.

Musk's group is one of many outside spenders in the race. Super PACs have spent more than $16 million so far, with both candidates benefiting, Gothamist reported. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which works to elect House Republicans, has spent $6.5 million in the district, while the House Majority PAC and VoteVets have spent on Conley's behalf, according to the outlet. Musk's America PAC also backed Lawler's 2024 re-election, according to Gothamist and the Daily News.

How Mike Lawler and His Opponent Are Responding

Lawler's campaign said it has no control over the outside spending. "By law, Lawler for Congress can't coordinate with super PACs, and we have no say over what America PAC or any other outside group spends in this race," campaign spokesman Ciro Riccardi told the Post. The Daily News reported that the campaign said Lawler would not disavow Musk's support.

Conley's campaign has made Musk's spending an issue. "It's no surprise that Elon Musk has spent millions to keep his puppet Mike Lawler in office," Conley campaign spokesperson Maddy Rosen told the Post, arguing that Lawler voted for tax breaks for data center operators. Lawler denies that Musk's backing is buying his support for tech priorities, the Daily News reported.

At a debate last week, Conley said guardrails on artificial intelligence are "not going to happen as long as you have Elon Musk's guy sitting in NY-17," according to Gothamist.

Image: The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River (file photo), by Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hold Everyone Accountable.

Sources: Gothamist, "Elon Musk drops $500K on NY Rep. Mike Lawler's reelection bid" (Oct. 2026): https://gothamist.com/news/elon-musk-drops-500k-on-ny-rep-mike-lawlers-reelection-bid ; New York Post, "Elon Musk opens wallet to aid NY Rep. Mike Lawler's tough re-election bid" (Oct. 22, 2026): https://nypost.com/2026/10/22/us-news/elon-musk-opens-wallet-to-aid-mike-lawlers-tough-re-election-bid/ ; New York Daily News (Oct. 22, 2026): https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/10/22/lawler-scores-500k-boost-from-musk-amid-reports-of-undercutting-ukraine/