Musk is not the only conservative billionaire hoping to keep Kiggans in office.
Some of the richest people in the country are lining up to help Republican US Rep. Jen Kiggans defend her seat in Virginia’s competitive 2nd Congressional District.
An Elon Musk super PAC is spending thousands of dollars to help Kiggans win her reelection campaign. Super PACs are a type of political action committee that can receive unlimited financial contributions from individuals, companies, labor unions, and other PACs, and they can spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose political candidates.
Musk’s America PAC spent $5,000 in support of Kiggans’ reelection campaign and $4,500 to oppose her opponent, Democrat Elaine Luria, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Luria represented the 2nd District from January 2019 to January 2023 and is hoping to win back the ever-competitive seat.
Musk’s support for Kiggans is part of his larger push to shape this year’s midterm elections and comes after his role in the Trump administration leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE was a controversial effort by the Trump administration to severely reduce the federal workforce and cut federal spending that ultimately didn’t carry out the savings it promised. Many of its efforts were challenged in court and have been criticized for hurting Virginia.
Luria released a statement Sept. 8 attacking Kiggans for supporting Musk’s work to fire federal workers and cut government programs. Kiggans last year called cuts to federal spending “so necessary.”
Federal spending cuts helped fuel the loss of millions of dollars worth of grant money in Kiggans’ district and the shedding of 6,000 jobs in Hampton Roads, according to a Virginia Business magazine report.
Luria said that Kiggans cares more about getting reelected than she does about protecting jobs in Hampton Roads.
“Voting against investments in jobs and infrastructure in your community just to get a campaign donation from Elon Musk is what corruption looks like,” Luria said in her release. “Unlike Jen, I will always fight for the people of Hampton Roads, not the pocketbooks and priorities of out-of-state billionaires.”
Kiggans did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk is not the only conservative billionaire hoping to keep Kiggans in office.
Kiggans’ campaign has received $10,000 from one of President Donald Trump’s PACs, Never Surrender, Inc. In March, Trump sought to raise money for Never Surrender, Inc. by asking supporters to show their support for the Iran war by donating to the PAC, according to a NOTUS report.
Republican megadonor Harlan Crow has given Kiggans $7,000 this election cycle. Crow, a Texas real estate developer, has come under scrutiny for taking US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on luxury vacations. Crow is also known for his collection of fascist memorabilia that includes paintings by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and a signed copy of Mein Kampf.
Billionaire Peter Thiel has also given Kiggans $7,000 this election cycle. Thiel is the deeply conservative billionaire who wrote in a 2009 essay, “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”
Thiel is also a former employer and mentor of US Vice President JD Vance. Palantir, a tech company founded by Thiel, has helped the Trump administration carry out its mass deportation program.
