Super PACs tied to Trump, Musk, Anthropic target Houston race

Super PACs tied to Trump, Musk, Anthropic target Houston race

by

Trump, Musk, and Anthropic Funnel Cash Into High-Stakes Houston Congressional Race

Super PACs tied to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and artificial intelligence developer Anthropic are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into Texas’s ninth congressional district, transforming a newly redrawn Houston-area contest into an unexpected financial battlefield just weeks before Election Day.

Over a two-week stretch, political committees backing major tech and political figures spent roughly $911,000 combined to support Republican candidate Alex Mealer, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The spending spree targets a seat that Republicans deliberately reshaped last year to shore up their U.S. House numbers, pulling in conservative voters from eastern Harris County and Liberty County.

The largest chunk of that recent influx came from the Trump-aligned No Going Back super PAC, which dropped more than $543,000 on a mix of advertising, mailers, and text messaging. Meanwhile, Defending our Values—part of a political network supported by Anthropic—channeled just over $258,000 into digital ads for Mealer. Musk’s America PAC added another $110,000 to the tally during the same window.

Groups tied to Trump, Anthropic pump cash into Houston-area House race
Photo: europesays.com

Tightening Polls and Local Pushback

A University of Houston poll released this month showed Mealer, an Army veteran and former oil and gas investment banker, holding a narrow six-percentage-point lead over Democratic challenger Leticia Gutierrez.

The district was long held by Democrat Al Green prior to the Republican-led redistricting process. Even with the geographic reconfiguration adding favorable terrain for the GOP, The Cook Political Report maintains a “likely” Republican rating on the contest, though the tightening margins have drawn intense national scrutiny.

Gutierrez’s campaign website targets Mealer directly over the influx of money originating from national special interests and corporate-backed political committees.

They know she will prioritize their profits over hardworking families in our community. — Leticia Gutierrez campaign website

Neither the Mealer nor the Gutierrez campaign immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the latest campaign finance disclosures.

Broader Political Headwinds in Texas

With Election Day just one week away, early voting data and local polling suggest a potentially turbulent cycle for the GOP across Texas. Seats in South and West Texas once considered sure bets for the party are now being forecast as competitive.

As the final ballots are cast, the intersection of artificial intelligence capital, presidential political networks, and local congressional redistricting in Houston highlights the extent to which modern suburban house races have become nationalized and expensive.

More on Anthropic: Musk and Anthropic Pledge Public Share Giveaways · Anthropic CEO Calls for AI Slowdown, Backed by Altman and Musk · Anthropic IPO: Why Amazon and Google Are the Biggest Winners Over VCs

Worth a look

Read next