Tech billionaire Elon Musk set a record for election spending this year after pouring nearly half a billion dollars into backing Republicans in the US midterm elections, according to The Guardian. The outlet's report said the spending turned out to be "a poor investment."

The Guardian reported that Musk, identified in its summary as the SpaceX and Tesla CEO, contributed at least $446 million to Republican-aligned super PACs and groups. The same summary cites a total of nearly half a billion dollars but does not explain how that total relates to the $446 million figure.

According to The Guardian, the $446 million went into campaigns for Republican candidates who failed. The summary does not name those candidates, the races they sought, or the standard used to judge the spending a failure. The headline describes the effort as a flop, but the summary does not say how many of the backed candidates lost or by what margins.

The report was written by Nick Robins-Early. Its summary describes the spending as a record for election spending this year, though it does not say what other spending that record was measured against. Because the summary is limited, the nearly half a billion dollar total and the figure of at least $446 million cannot be reconciled from this account alone.

This account is based only on the title and summary of The Guardian's report. Readers seeking the full figures, the names of the candidates involved, and the reporting behind the spending record should consult the original article.

Sources: The Guardian: Elon Musk’s nearly half a billion dollars in midterms spending was a flop.