Billionaire businessman Elon Musk is steadily expanding his influence in Texas politics, with his companies deploying more lobbyists at the Texas Capitol this year than in any year since 2021-spending tens of thousands of dollars on lawmakers and their staff in the process.

While Elon Musk took Washington, D.C., by storm, his company representatives and lobbyists were also notching up big political wins in the heart of his vast business empire: Texas.