Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton (Republican Party) is the Attorney General of Texas. He assumed office on September 18, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2027. Paxton is not running for re-election to Attorney General of Texas in 2026.
Paxton (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Texas. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary runoff on May 26, 2026.
On September 16, 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on 16 articles of impeachment, and he resumed serving as attorney general on September 18, 2023.[1][2] The Senate also voted to dismiss the four other article of impeachments that had been held in abeyance at the start of the trial.[3] Paxton had been suspended from his position as attorney general after the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach him on May 27, 2023. Click here for more information.
Paxton assumed office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2022. He succeeded Greg Abbott (R), who served as attorney general from 2002 until 2015, when he was sworn in as governor of Texas.
Prior to becoming attorney general of Texas, Paxton served in the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 70 from 2003 to 2013.[4][5] He was a Republican member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 8 from 2013 to 2015. Paxton did not seek re-election to the Texas State Senate in 2014, instead opting to run for attorney general of Texas.[4][5]
Biography
Paxton received a bachelor's degree and graduate degree from Baylor University and a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. His professional experience includes working as an attorney, management consultant, and in-house legal counsel for J.C. Penney Company, Inc.[4]
Paxton has been affiliated with the Allen Chamber of Commerce, Centennial Medical Center Board, Collin County Bar Association, Dallas Estate Planning Council, Frisco Chamber of Commerce, Marketplace Ministries Board of Directors, McKinney Chamber of Commerce, McKinney Rotary, and Stonebriar Community Church.
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the November 3 general election for U.S. Senate in Texas as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
James Talarico (D), Ken Paxton (R), and five other candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate in Texas on November 3, 2026.
Incumbent John Cornyn (R) lost to Paxton in the Republican primary runoff. As of October 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Toss-up. The last Democrat to win election to the U.S. Senate from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen (D) in 1988. In 2024, incumbent Ted Cruz (R) defeated Colin Allred (D) 53.1%–44.6%. In 2020, Cornyn defeated M.J. Hegar (D) 53.5%–43.9%. CNN's Aaron Blake said, "[T]he data suggest Democrats’ chances are as good as — or better than — ever in the last three decades. History and logic suggest it’s still worth being circumspect."[6] As of October 2026, Talarico had raised $129 million and Paxton had raised $19.5 million.
Talarico was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2018. He earlier taught middle school language arts in San Antonio. Talarico completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. In his survey response, Talarico wrote, "As a legislator, I’ve proven that I can pass ambitious legislation to make life better for Texans. I’ve passed 60 bipartisan bills to make Texans lives better including lowering the cost of prescription drugs and expanding child care. ... The real fight in this country isn’t Left vs Right; it’s Top vs Bottom. Right now, the rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are struggling to get by."[7]
Paxton was elected as Texas Attorney General in 2014. He served in the Texas State Senate from 2013 to 2015 and in the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013. Paxton's campaign website says, "Both President Trump and Ken Paxton have been targeted in politically motivated witch hunts because there’s nothing that scares the establishment more than courageous conservatives who never back down from standing up for the American people. ... Ken Paxton is running to stop the most radical Democrat in Texas history, James Talarico, from representing Texas in the United States Senate."[8]
As of October 23, 2026, satellite groups had reported spending a combined $409 million supporting or opposing Talarico and Paxton. This figure included $205 million spent to oppose Talarico, $96.2 million spent to support Paxton, $84.5 million spent to oppose Paxton, and $23.7 million spent to support Talarico.[9][10][11][12]
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in the 120th Congress. Thirty-three of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election, and another two seats are up for special election. Democrats hold 13 of the seats up for election, and Republicans hold 22.
Currently, Republicans have a 53-45 majority in the chamber.[13] To read more about the U.S. Senate elections taking place this year, click here.
Minor party, independent, and write-in candidates include Ted Brown (L), Avery Ayers (Independent) (Write-in), Bradford Hall (Independent) (Write-in), Zul Mohamed (Independent) (Write-in), and Jade Simmons (Independent) (Write-in).
Political career
Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.
Paxton's political career includes the following offices:
- 2023-present: Attorney General of Texas
- 2015-2023: Attorney General of Texas
- 2013-2015: Texas State Senate District 8
- 2003-2013: Texas House of Representatives District 70
Elections
2026
See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 2026
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 (May 26 Republican primary runoff)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | James Talarico (D)  | |
 | Ken Paxton (R) | |
 | Ted Brown (L) | |
 | Avery Ayers (Independent) (Write-in) | |
 | Bradford Hall (Independent) (Write-in) | |
 | Zul Mohamed (Independent) (Write-in) | |
 | Jade Simmons (Independent) (Write-in) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ronald Evans (Independent)
- Johnathan Garza (Independent)
- Camencia Ford (Independent)
- William Harper (Independent)
- Joshua Cain (Independent)
- Hans Truelson (Independent)
- Robert Coster (Independent)
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas
Ken Paxton defeated incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas on May 26, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton | 63.8 | 888,196 |
 | John Cornyn | 36.2 | 503,438 | |
| Total votes: 1,391,634 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas
James Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Talarico | 52.4 | 1,216,412 |
 | Jasmine Crockett | 46.2 | 1,071,900 | |
 | Ahmad Hassan | 1.3 | 30,875 | |
| Total votes: 2,319,187 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Colin Allred (D)
- Paula Williams (D)
- Emily Morgul (D)
- Michael Swanson (D)
- Terry Virts (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Cornyn | 42.0 | 910,382 |
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton | 40.5 | 878,564 |
 | Wesley Hunt | 13.5 | 293,250 | |
 | Sara Canady | 1.2 | 26,355 | |
| Anna Bender | 1.1 | 24,167 | ||
 | Gulrez Khan | 0.7 | 15,873 | |
| John Adefope | 0.4 | 9,284 | ||
 | Virgil Bierschwale | 0.4 | 9,035 | |
| Total votes: 2,166,910 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Connor Kraus (R)
- Matthew Elliot Kelley (R)
- Alexander Duncan (R)
- Andrew Alvarez (R)
- Keith Allen (R)
- Barrett McNabb (R)
- Tony Schmoker (R)
- Leo Wyatt (R)
- Andrew Trakas (R)
- Rennie Mann (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas
Ted Brown defeated Daniel Mark Sims in the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 11, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ted Brown (L) | 64.3 | 83 |
| Daniel Mark Sims (L) | 30.2 | 39 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 5.4 | 7 | ||
| Total votes: 129 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[14] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[15] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Brown (L) | Paxton (R) | Talarico (D) | Don't know | Unsure | No response | Another party's candidate | Wouldn't vote | Don't know/Refused | Someone else | I will not vote in this race | Not sure | Another candidate | I would not vote | Undecided/Refused | Other/No vote | Don't know/No opinion | None | Other | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | -- | 49 | 49 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1,398 LV | ± 2.5% | Fox News | |
– | 3 | 48 | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1,000 LV | ± 3.1% | Nexstar Media | |
– | 1 | 45 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 969 LV | ± 3.9% | ||
– | -- | 49 | 51 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1,492 RV | ± 3.4% | CBS News | |
– | 3 | 46 | 48 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2000 LV | ± 2.2% | ||
– | 3 | 44 | 49 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 934 LV | ± 4.0% | Cook Political Report | |
– | -- | 45 | 47 | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 1196 RV | ± 4.9% | ||
– | 2 | 47 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 839 LV | ± 3.6% | ||
– | -- | 44 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 5 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 617 LV | ± 4.4% | ||
– | 2 | 44 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 1,086 LV | ± 2.9% | ||
– | -- | 44 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 3625 LV | ± 3.0% | ||
– | -- | 45 | 51 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 615 LV | ± 4.5% | The New York Times | |
– | -- | 49 | 51 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 881 LV | ± 3.0% | Fox News | |
Guidant Polling and Strategy NotePublic First Action | – | 4 | 44.2 | 46.6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 800 LV | ± 3.5% | Public First Action |
– | 2 | 45 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 850 LV | ± 4.5% | ||
– | -- | 48 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 800 LV | ± 3.5% | Ken Paxton | |
– | 5 | 42 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 698 LV | ± 4.0% | Public Polling Project | |
– | -- | 48 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 865 LV | ± 3.5% | Texans United for a Conservative Majority | |
– | 4 | 45 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 1,115 LV | ± 3.0% | Rasmussen Reports | |
– | 3 | 44 | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 1007 LV | ± 3.6% | Texas Public Opinion Research | |
– | -- | 44 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 1139 RV | ± 4.4% | ||
– | 3 | 46 | 47 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1800 LV | ± 2.3% | ||
– | 3 | 45 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 1,079 LV | ± 2.9% | ||
– | 2 | 46 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 1000 LV | ± 3.0% | Nexstar Media | |
– | -- | 43 | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 614 LV | ± 4.3% | ||
– | 3 | 43 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 625 RV | ± 4.0% | Telemundo Texas | |
– | 2 | 46 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 1200 LV | ± 2.8% | ||
– | -- | 43 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 1000 RV | ± 3.6% | Univision | |
– | -- | 44 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 895 LV | ± 3.3% | AARP | |
– | -- | 50 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1167 LV | ± 2.9% | Texas Public Policy Foundation | |
– | 1 | 42 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 1000 LV | ± 3.3% | Texas Public Opinion Research | |
– | 3 | 39 | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1200 RV | ± 2.8% | ||
– | -- | 47.2 | 46.2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4.5 | 1000 LV | ± 3.0% | Nexstar Media | |
– | -- | 43 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 6 | 619 LV | ± 4.7% | Texas A&M University | |
– | 2 | 45 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 1200 LV | ± 2.8% | ||
– | -- | 48 | 51 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1006 RV | ± 3.0% | Fox News | |
– | 1 | 40 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 14 | 1048 LV | ± 3.4% | Texas Public Opinion Research | |
– | -- | 47 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 656 LV | ± 4.5% | The New York Times | |
– | 3 | 43 | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1200 RV | ± 2.8% | ||
– | -- | 45 | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 7 | 800 LV | ± 3.5% | ||
Texas A&M University/Siena Research Institute/ReconMR Note"Other" includes 3% who said they would vote for a different candidate and 1% who said they would not vote. | – | -- | 46 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 5 | 807 LV | ± 4.0% | |
– | 1 | 44 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 7 | 1670 LV | ± 2.8% | Texas Public Opinion Research | |
Texas Southern University/YouGov NoteHypothetical matchup between James Talarico (D) and Ken Paxton (R) | – | 2 | 45 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 1,223 LV | ± 2.8% | |
Slingshot Strategies NoteHypothetical matchup between James Talarico (D) and Ken Paxton (R). | – | -- | 41 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 1,018 LV | ± 3.3% | Texas Public Opinion Research |
University of Texas NoteHypothetical matchup between James Talarico (D) and Ken Paxton (R) | – | -- | 34 | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 19 | 1,200 RV | ± 2.8% | |
– | -- | 45 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 576 LV | ± 4.1% | Senate Majority PAC | |
– | 3 | 46 | 44 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 1,502 LV | ± 2.5% | ||
Emerson College NoteHypothetical matchup between James Talarico (D) and Ken Paxton (R) | – | -- | 46 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 1,165 RV | ± 2.8% | Nexstar Media |
University of Houston/Texas Southern University NoteHypothetical matchup between James Talarico (D) and Ken Paxton (R) | – | -- | 49 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 1,183 LV | ± 2.9% | |
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Candidate spending
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cornyn | Republican Party | $14,265,890 | $14,403,258 | $496,092 | As of October 14, 2026 |
| James Talarico | Democratic Party | $128,772,835 | $114,178,604 | $14,594,232 | As of September 30, 2026 |
| Ken Paxton | Republican Party | $19,497,810 | $14,572,704 | $4,925,105 | As of September 30, 2026 |
| Ted Brown | Libertarian Party | $14,257 | $13,037 | $1,288 | As of October 14, 2026 |
| Avery Ayers | Independent | $0 | $0 | $210 | As of October 31, 2025 |
| Bradford Hall | Independent | $5,430 | $5,352 | $78 | As of October 14, 2026 |
| Zul Mohamed | Independent | $0 | $328 | $-328 | As of October 14, 2026 |
| Jade Simmons | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[16][17]
The tables below contain data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). They include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports, as well as 24- and 48-hour reports.
Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.
The table below summarizes spending by satellite groups in support of or opposition to each candidate in this race. Satellite spending is spending by outside groups, independent of candidates’ campaigns. It does not include spending by the candidates’ own campaigns.
| Candidate | Spending For | Spending Against | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Paxton | $1,391,225 | $26,905,075 | $28,296,300 |
| James Talarico | $4,251,265 | $1,281,079 | $5,532,345 |
| Ted Brown | $150,011 | $0 | $150,011 |
| Total | $5,792,501 | $28,186,154 | $33,978,656 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission (FEC). This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the FEC. | |||
The table below details the total spending by satellite groups and whether it was made in support or opposition of a specific candidate. It breaks down the totals above by organization, with individual rows ordered by amount, largest first.
| Organization | Support/Oppose | Candidate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEXANS FOR A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY | Oppose | Ken Paxton | $24,960,684 |
| LONE STAR RISING PAC | Support | James Talarico | $3,980,262 |
| TEXANS DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY | Oppose | Ken Paxton | $1,853,481 |
| LONE STAR LIBERTY PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $770,071 |
| AMERICAN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | Oppose | James Talarico | $533,069 |
| FORWARD TEXAS | Oppose | James Talarico | $505,024 |
| FELLOWSHIP PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $500,000 |
| LONE STAR LIBERTY PAC | Oppose | James Talarico | $200,000 |
| SAVE WESTERN CULTURE | Support | Ted Brown | $150,011 |
| FIELD TEAM 6, INC. | Support | James Talarico | $102,470 |
| LONE STAR RISING PAC | Oppose | Ken Paxton | $90,910 |
| LATINO VICTORY FUND | Support | James Talarico | $82,500 |
| SENATE CONSERVATIVES ACTION | Support | Ken Paxton | $48,306 |
| FORWARD BLUE | Support | James Talarico | $45,559 |
| SENATE CONSERVATIVES FUND | Support | Ken Paxton | $44,649 |
| WIN IT BACK PAC | Oppose | James Talarico | $42,986 |
| ACTIVATE AMERICA | Support | James Talarico | $16,331 |
| CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $15,546 |
| EVERY STATE | Support | James Talarico | $10,000 |
| DISRUPT | Support | James Talarico | $9,375 |
| RED SENATE | Support | Ken Paxton | $7,614 |
| INDIGO PAC | Support | James Talarico | $2,995 |
| COURAGEOUS CONSERVATIVES PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $1,500 |
| GOA VICTORY FUND | Support | Ken Paxton | $1,292 |
| EARLY VOTE ACTION PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $819 |
| GIVEGREEN UNITED ACTION | Support | James Talarico | $748 |
| MONTGOMERY COUNTY FIRST PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $739 |
| TEXAS PATRIOTS PAC | Support | Ken Paxton | $674 |
| BLUE DEMOCRACY NETWORK | Support | James Talarico | $550 |
| CONCERNED CITIZEN | Support | James Talarico | $475 |
| PATRIOT PARTNERS | Support | Ken Paxton | $15 |
| Overall total | $33,978,656 | ||
| Source: Federal Election Commission (FEC). This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the FEC. | |||
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[18]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[19][20][21]
Last four weeks
Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. The table below shows the most recent four weeks of ratings until the election date, if available.
| Reviewing Body | October 20, 2026 | October 13, 2026 | October 6, 2026 | September 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| Decision Desk | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| Inside Elections | Toss-up | Tilt Republican | Tilt Republican | Lean Republican |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
Change over time
The following table shows each date on which one or more rating outlets changed their rating.
| Date | Inside Elections | Cook Political Report | Sabato's Crystal Ball | Decision Desk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most recent rating | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| Changes throughout the cycle | ||||
| October 20, 2026 | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| October 6, 2026 | Tilt Republican | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| September 1, 2026 | Lean Republican | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up |
| August 25, 2026 | Lean Republican | Toss-up | Lean Republican | Toss-up |
| August 18, 2026 | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Toss-up |
| July 28, 2026 | Likely Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Toss-up |
| July 21, 2026 | Likely Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican |
| June 2, 2026 | Likely Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Pending |
| July 29, 2025 | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Pending |
| July 22, 2025 | Solid Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Pending |
| February 18, 2025 | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Likely Republican | Pending |
| February 11, 2025 | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Pending | Pending |
| January 21, 2025 | Solid Republican | Pending | Pending | Pending |
Endorsements
- See also: Our approach to covering endorsements
Ken Paxton received the following endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Pres. Donald Trump (R)
- U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison (R)
- U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R)
- U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R)
- U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R)
- U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R)
- U.S. Rep. Ronny L. Jackson (R)
- U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R)
- U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (R)
- State Sen. Donna Campbell (R)
- State Sen. Bob Hall (R)
- State Rep. Mark Dorazio (R)
- State Rep. Richard Hayes (R)
- State Rep. Janis Holt (R)
- State Rep. Andy Hopper (R)
- State Rep. Helen Kerwin (R)
- State Rep. Marc LaHood (R)
- State Rep. Mitch Little (R)
- State Rep. David Lowe (R)
- State Rep. Shelley Luther (R)
- State Rep. Brent Money (R)
- State Rep. Mike Olcott (R)
- State Rep. Katrina Pierson (R)
- State Rep. Keresa Richardson (R)
- State Rep. Nate Schatzline (R)
- State Rep. Joanne Shofner (R)
- State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R)
- AI is NOT above the law (Sway voting group by Ali Partovi)
- Conservative Political Action Conference
- Gun Owners of America
- Keep Texas Red (Sway voting group by Clark B. Will)
- Misfits M.A.G.A. P.A.C.K. (Sway voting group by Zack Bonfilio)
- Onalaska (Sway voting group by Zachary Davies)
- RHOck The Vote With Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.- LUS (Sway voting group by Sophia Brown)
- Sassies For Liberty (Sway voting group by Sassies For Liberty)
- Texas Gun Rights PAC
- The Conservative Compass (Sway voting group by Nathan Bigelow)
- Turning Point Action
2022
See also: Texas Attorney General election, 2022
General election
General election for Attorney General of Texas
Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated Rochelle Garza and Mark Ash in the general election for Attorney General of Texas on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton (R) | 53.4 | 4,278,986 |
 | Rochelle Garza (D) | 43.7 | 3,497,267 | |
 | Mark Ash (L) | 2.9 | 233,750 | |
| Total votes: 8,010,003 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas
Rochelle Garza defeated Joe Jaworski in the Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rochelle Garza | 62.7 | 305,168 |
 | Joe Jaworski | 37.3 | 181,744 | |
| Total votes: 486,912 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas
Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated George P. Bush in the Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton | 68.0 | 633,223 |
 | George P. Bush | 32.0 | 298,577 | |
| Total votes: 931,800 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas
Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski advanced to a runoff. They defeated Lee Merritt, Mike Fields, and S. T-Bone Raynor in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rochelle Garza | 43.0 | 438,134 |
| ✔ | | Joe Jaworski | 19.8 | 202,140 |
 | Lee Merritt | 19.4 | 198,108 | |
 | Mike Fields | 12.3 | 125,373 | |
| S. T-Bone Raynor | 5.5 | 55,944 | ||
| Total votes: 1,019,699 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas
Incumbent Ken Paxton and George P. Bush advanced to a runoff. They defeated Eva Guzman and Louis B. Gohmert Jr. in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton | 42.7 | 823,199 |
| ✔ | | George P. Bush | 22.8 | 439,240 |
 | Eva Guzman | 17.5 | 337,761 | |
 | Louis B. Gohmert Jr. | 17.0 | 327,257 | |
| Total votes: 1,927,457 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Matt Krause (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas
Mark Ash advanced from the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas on April 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Ash (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2018
- See also: Texas Attorney General election, 2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of Texas
Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated Justin Nelson and Michael Ray Harris in the general election for Attorney General of Texas on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton (R) | 50.6 | 4,193,207 |
 | Justin Nelson (D) | 47.0 | 3,898,098 | |
| Michael Ray Harris (L) | 2.4 | 201,310 | ||
| Total votes: 8,292,615 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas
Justin Nelson advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Justin Nelson |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas
Incumbent Ken Paxton advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Paxton |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas
Michael Ray Harris defeated Jamar Osborne in the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas on April 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Michael Ray Harris (L) | 90.4 | 236 | |
| Jamar Osborne (L) | 9.6 | 25 | ||
| Total votes: 261 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Texas attorney general election, 2014
Paxton ran for election as Texas attorney general. Paxton came in first for the Republican nomination in the primary on March 4, 2014, and faced Dan Branch in a runoff on May 27, which Paxton won. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.[22]
Results
Primary election
| Texas Attorney General Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Ken Paxton |
44.5% | 569,034 | ||
| Dan Branch |
33.4% | 428,034 | ||
| Barry Smitherman | 22.1% | 282,701 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,279,769 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
Primary runoff
| Texas Attorney General Republican Runoff, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Ken Paxton |
65% | 489,586 | ||
| Dan Branch | 35% | 263,194 | ||
| Total Votes | 752,780 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
General election
| Attorney General of Texas, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ken Paxton |
58.8% | 2,742,646 | |
| Democrat | Sam Houston | 38% | 1,773,108 | |
| Libertarian | Jamie Balagia | 2.5% | 118,186 | |
| Green | Jamar Osborne | 0.6% | 29,590 | |
| Total Votes | 4,663,530 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Endorsements
- Texas Right to Life PAC[23]
- Empower Texans[24]
2012
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012
Paxton won election in the 2012 election for Texas State Senate District 8. Paxton ran unopposed in the May 29 primary election and won election in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[25]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Paxton |
62.3% | 178,238 | |
| Democratic | Jack Ternan | 34.6% | 99,010 | |
| Libertarian | Ed Kless | 3.1% | 8,899 | |
| Total Votes | 286,147 | |||
2010
Paxton won re-election unopposed in District 70. He was unopposed in the March 2 Republican primary and faced no opposition in the November 2 general election.[25]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 70 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Ken Paxton (R)
|
43,006 | 100% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Paxton won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas' 70th District, defeating Robert Virasin (L). Paxton received 73,450 votes in the election while Virasin received 11,751 votes.[25] Paxton raised $320,266 in campaign contributions.[26]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 70 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Ken Paxton (R)
|
73,450 | 86.20% | ||
| Robert Virasin (L) | 11,751 | 13.79% | ||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ken Paxton has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Ken Paxton asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Ken Paxton, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign website
Paxton's campaign website stated the following:
Carry the Torch for Trump’s Agenda.
Ken Paxton has always been a loyal supporter of President Trump and a staunch supporter of the America First movement. Both President Trump and Ken Paxton have been targeted in politically motivated witch hunts because there’s nothing that scares the establishment more than courageous conservatives who never back down from standing up for the American people. In Washington, Ken Paxton will champion President Trump’s legislative priorities, including cutting taxes, securing the border and deporting illegal aliens, ending the weaponization of government, and draining the Swamp.
Take A Sledgehammer to the DC Establishment.
There are too many establishment politicians who have spent decades in Washington ignoring the people they’re supposed to represent. They care more about lobbyists and special interests than their own constituents, and our country deserves better. Ken Paxton is a conservative outsider— just like President Trump— who has consistently taken on the political establishment and won. As Senator, he will shake up Washington and be a relentless fighter for the American people.
Sovereignty Matters. Borders Must Hold.
Ken Paxton is running to help President Trump finish the border wall and protect our national sovereignty. During the corrupt Biden Administration, Attorney General Paxton led the national legal charge against Biden’s radical agenda and sued the lawless Biden Administration over 100 times, including to put an end to disastrous open borders policies. Ken Paxton will carry that fight to Washington, where he will help President Trump deport the criminal illegal aliens Joe Biden invited into the country, secure the border, and complete the construction of the border wall.
No Compromise. Just Conservative Principles.
The radical left is determined to undermine our conservative values, and too often there are RINO Republicans willing to help them do it. We’ve seen an unprecedented assault on our Constitutional freedoms— like our 2nd Amendment rights— from “Republicans” and Democrats alike. Ken Paxton is running to stop the career politicians who are attacking our way of life. He will stand with President Trump to protect our gun rights, defend the unborn, and defeat the radical transgender movement that’s desperate to put men in girls’ sports and woke indoctrination in our classrooms.
Foreign Policy That Puts Americans First — Period.
While many Washington career politicians are concerned with sending billions to foreign countries and protecting the borders of other nations, Ken Paxton’s top priority will always be the American people. Alongside President Trump, he will work to advance an America First foreign policy that promotes peace through strength, prioritizes our nation’s interests first and foremost, and ensures the safety of American citizens.
No More Blank Checks. No More Broken Promises.
Ken Paxton is a strong fiscal conservative who will fight to cut taxes and stop the wasteful spending that has led to our nation being in over $36 trillion dollars in debt. After four years of Joe Biden causing skyrocketing inflation and declaring war on American energy, Ken Paxton will help bring down costs and remove harmful regulations designed to hurt our energy companies. He is a staunch ally and supporter of President Trump’s economic agenda and will work tirelessly to revitalize American manufacturing, create American jobs, and restore the American Dream.
— Ken Paxton's campaign website (November 19, 2025)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ken Paxton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
| Texas Republican legislative conflicts |
 |
| Leadership elections |
|---|
| 2025 speaker election |
| Battleground primaries |
| 2024 • 2022 • 2020 • 2018 |
| Noteworthy events |
| Impeachment of Ken Paxton, 2023 |
| Noteworthy individuals |
| Joe Straus Speaker, 2008-2018 Dennis Bonnen Speaker, 2019-2020 Dade Phelan Speaker, 2021-2024 Greg Abbott Gov., elected 2014 Dan Patrick Lt. Gov., elected 2014 Ken Paxton AG, elected 2022 |
| Noteworthy groups |
| Empower Texans Texas Freedom Caucus |
Texas House votes to impeach Paxton, Senate votes to acquit (2023)
- See also Impeachment of Ken Paxton, 2023
The Texas House of Representatives voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton on May 27, 2023.[27] The Texas Tribune's Zach Despart and James Barragán wrote that "Many of the articles of impeachment focused on allegations that Paxton had repeatedly abused his powers of office to help a political donor and friend, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul."[28]
The Texas House of Representatives General Investigating Committee unanimously recommended Paxton's impeachment on May 25, 2023, after beginning an investigation in March 2023.[29][30] The Texas Tribune reported that four investigators for the House committee said during a public forum that they believed Paxton "broke numerous state laws, misspent office funds and misused his power to benefit a friend and political donor."[31]
According to the Texas Constitution, Paxton was suspended from office during the impeachment process.[32] Following the House vote that impeached him, Paxton said, "The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just. It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning. … What we witnessed today is not just about me. It is about the corrupt establishment's eagerness to overpower the millions of Texas voters who already made their voices heard when they overwhelmingly re-elected me."[33] A senior lawyer in Paxton's office, Chris Hilton, stated that what the investigators said was "false," "misleading," and "full of errors big and small."[31]
On September 16, 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on 16 articles of impeachment, and he resumed serving as attorney general on September 18, 2023.[1][34] After the vote, Paxton issued a statement: "The sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden Administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of Attorney General and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House. The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt."[35] The Senate also voted to dismiss the four other articles of impeachment that had been held in abeyance at the start of the trial.[36]
The 20 articles of impeachment were categorized as follows:
- Disregard of official duty (7 articles)
- False statements in official records (3)
- Constitutional bribery (2)
- Obstruction of justice (2)
- Abuse of public trust
- Conspiracy and attempted conspiracy
- Dereliction of duty
- Misapplication of public resources
- Misappropriation of public resources
- Unfitness for office[37]
Twelve articles of impeachment were related to events regarding the investigations of Paul and the members of Paxton's staff that left office during that time.[37] Click here to read more about those events. Three articles related to Paxton's 2015 indictment for securities fraud.[37] Click here to read more about those events. The remaining five articles related to Paxton's overall conduct while in office.[37] Click here for the full Texas House of Representatives resolution detailing the articles of impeachment against Paxton.
Paxton was the second statewide official, and the third overall, to be impeached in Texas history. [38] Click here for more information about impeachments in Texas.
Top aide resigns and accusations of bribery and abuse of office (2020)
On October 5, 2020, The Washington Post reported that Jeffrey Mateer, Paxton's first assistant, resigned. Mateer and six other aides submitted a letter to Human Resources Director Greg Simpson alleging that Paxton had been, "violating federal and/or state law, including prohibitions relating to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery, and other potential criminal offenses."[39] According to the Houston Chronicle, the aides accused Paxton of launching an investigation into the FBI and U.S. Department of Treasury agents who raided the home and business office of Nate Paul in 2019. Paul donated to Paxton's 2018 campaign.[40]
In a statement to the Austin American-Statesman, Paxton's office said, "The complaint filed against Attorney General Paxton was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office...Making false claims is a very serious matter and we plan to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law."[39]
On October 13, 2020, the Houston Chronicle reported that Mark Penley was put on leave and on November 2, 2020, The Texas Tribune reported that he was fired.[41][42] The Houston Chronicle also reported on October 22, 2020, that Paxton's office fired two top aides, Blake Brickman and Lacey Mase.[40] Penley, Brickman, and Mase were three of the seven aides to make accusations against Paxton. According to The Texas Tribune, Mase said, "It was not voluntary."[43] Ian Prior, a spokesperson for Paxton’s campaign, said, "Any suggestion that this has to do with the whistleblower claims is false and demonstrates an unfamiliarity with the facts...There are a number of reasons for these separations that we cannot discuss at this time."[44]
On October 25, 2020, Ryan Vassar was put on leave and Darren McCarty submitted his resignation, effective the first week of November 2020. Both were top aides who had made accusations against Paxton.[45]
Ryan Bangert, the seventh aide to accuse Paxton, resigned on October 28, 2020. The Marshall News Messenger reported that Bangert said, "It has been my honor and privilege to serve alongside the men and women of the Office of the Attorney General."[46]
On November 17, 2020, the Attorney General's Office fired Ryan Vassar.[47]
On February 10, 2023, Paxton and four former top aides reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging that Paxton improperly fired them. The Texas Tribune's James Barragán wrote, "The tentative agreement would pay $3.3 million to the four whistleblowers and keep in place an appeals court ruling that allowed the case to move forward. The settlement, once finalized, also will include a statement from Paxton saying he “accepts that plaintiffs acted in a manner that they thought was right and apologizes for referring to them as ‘rogue employees.’”[48] Barragán also wrote that "The settlement...is contingent on the approval of funding", which the state of Texas pay for.[48]
Felony securities fraud indictment
State charges
A grand jury indicted Paxton for felony securities fraud on July 31, 2015. The charges included two counts of first-degree securities fraud in connection with the sale of more than $100,000 or more of Servergy Inc. stock to two investors, along with a lesser charge of not registering.[49] Paxton turned himself in on August 3, 2015, and was booked and released.[50] Paxton said the charges against him were politically motivated and appealed the judge's ruling.
At his first court appearance on the three securities fraud charges on August 27, 2015, Paxton formally pleaded not guilty. After Paxton entered his plea, District Judge George Gallagher granted a motion that Paxton's attorney, Joe Kendall, made to withdraw from the case.[51] On September 10, 2015, Paxton announced he had hired new legal counsel.[52] Paxton's defense team moved to have the charges dismissed on December 1, 2015. Prosecutors sought to amend the indictments. Judge Chris Oldner said he would issue written rulings on those motions.[53][54][55]
In July 2016, a state appeals court denied Paxton's motion to reconsider a previous ruling that upheld criminal charges against him.[56] In August 2016, Paxton appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state's court of last resort for all criminal matters in the state.[57]
Following a prosecutor's motion, Judge Gallagher ordered the case moved to Harris County Court on April 12, 2017, setting a tentative trial date for September 12, 2017.[58] In turn, Paxton issued legal challenges seeking Judge Gallagher's removal from the case. The 5th Court of Appeals ruled on May 30, 2017, that in moving the case to Harris County, Judge Gallagher had also lost his authority to try the case since it was out of his jurisdiction. Although the court ordered Judge Gallagher to cancel all upcoming proceedings, including the September 12 trial, it did not directly remove him from the case.[59] As a result of the ruling, Judge Gallagher ordered the transfer of the case to Harris County on June 9, 2017.[60] On June 13, 2017, Judge Robert Johnson was randomly selected to preside over the case.[61] An initial trial on one of the three charges was scheduled for December 11, 2017, but was later delayed indefinitely.[62]
On October 4, 2017, Judge Johnson agreed to further delay the trial at the prosecutors' request, citing disruptions that Hurricane Harvey caused and the unresolved dispute over the prosecutors' pay.[63]
Paxton's trial remained delayed through 2018 and 2019. In July 2019, Paxton's attorneys requested to move the case back to Collin County from Harris County.[64] On June 25, Judge Robert Johnson granted the request, ruling that the trial would take place in Collin County.[65]
On May 27, 2021, a three-judge panel of the Texas First District Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to uphold Johnson's order, setting the stage for Paxton's trial to take place in Collin County.[66]
Federal securities charges dismissed
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil securities fraud charges against Paxton in April 2016 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. [67]A U.S. district court judge dismissed these charges in March 2017.[67]
The March 2017 permanent dismissal of the charges followed from a conditional dismissal of the charges in October 2016.[68] Judge Amos Mazzant issued his conditional dismissal on Friday, October 7. Mazzant gave SEC prosecutors 14 days to amend their allegations.[69] On October 21, the SEC filed an amended complaint.[70]
The SEC alleged Paxton misled five investors in Servergy Inc. by not disclosing to them that he received compensation from sales in the form of shares of company stock. Paxton told the SEC that the shares were meant as a gift from the company's founder rather than as compensation.[71]
In his 29-page ruling conditionally dismissing the SEC's charges, federal Judge Amos Mazzant wrote, "This case is not about whether Paxton had a moral obligation to disclose his financial arrangement with Servergy to potential investors. This case is also not about whether Paxton had some general obligation to disclose his financial arrangement to his investor group. The only issue before the Court is to determine whether the facts as pleaded give rise to a plausible claim under federal securities laws."[68]
In Mazzant's final dismissal of the case in March 2017, he wrote, "This case has not changed since the Court conditionally dismissed the Commission’s Original Complaint. The primary deficiency was, and remains, that Paxton had no plausible legal duty to disclose his compensation arrangement with investors."[67]
After the federal court dismissed the SEC charges, Paxton said, "I have maintained all along this whole saga is a political witch hunt. Today’s ruling to dismiss the charges with prejudice confirms that these charges were baseless when the SEC initially brought them and they were without merit when the SEC re-filed them. Someone needs to hold the SEC accountable for this travesty."[67]
Noteworthy cases
| • Texas Supreme Court rules against Port Authority of San Antonio (2015) Judge(s):John Devine (Boeing v. Paxton, No. 12-1007) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
|
In a 7-1 opinion in June 2015, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton must block the release of information from a lease between Boeing and the Port Authority of San Antonio. The reasoning was that the information, according to Boeing, could benefit the company's competitors. Previously, the state had blocked the release of information only when proprietary information and trade secrets were at stake.[72] The case concerned the lease between Boeing, an aerospace manufacturer, and the Port Authority for a manufacturing facility at Kelly Field Annex, formerly an air force base. In 2005, a former Boeing employee requested the release of the full lease; Paxton's office argued that Boeing's efforts to redact parts of the lease were not protected under the state's Public Information Act.[72] Boeing argued that information requested could allow a competitor to calculate the San Antonio operation's overhead costs, potentially putting Boeing at a disadvantage for future government projects.[72] Two lower courts sided with the attorney general's office before the Texas Supreme Court reversed their decisions and favored Boeing.[72] Judge John Devine wrote for the majority that the test for whether information can be blocked "is whether knowing another bidder’s overhead costs would be an advantage, not whether it would be a decisive advantage."[72] He also cited a recent attorney general ruling allowing Governor Greg Abbott confidentiality in his meetings with out-of-state businesses he sought to attract to Texas, on the grounds that the governor's office is a competitor for the business' jobs.[72] In the only dissent, Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd argued that Boeing's defense was "too hypothetical and speculative" to qualify for state protection.[72] He wrote that Boeing failed to identify a specific federal contract for which it was competing or any specific competitor; he also wrote that Boeing failed to identify a specific advantage a competitor might garner through the release of the information.[72] Within three months of the ruling, the attorney general's office cited Boeing v. Paxton at least three times when siding with private companies under government contract.[72] | |
State legislative tenure
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
In 2014, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2013.
- Concerned Women for America of Texas — Legislators are scored based on votes on bills relating to abortion, common core, and sex trafficking.
- Conservative Roundtable — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles.
- Equality Texas — Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues.
- NARAL Pro-Choice Texas — Legislators are scored based on votes for House Bill 2.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Association of Business — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to businesses, taxpayers, and families.
- Texas Eagle Forum — Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues.
- Texas League of Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored based on votes relating to environment and conservation issues.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Young Conservatives of Texas — Legislators are scored based on votes for Amendments 2, 12, 51, 95, and 118.
In 2012, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2011.
- Conservative Roundtable — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles.
- Heritage Alliance — Legislators are scored based on votes on social issues, economic issues, and other issues.
- Humane Society Legislative Fund — Legislators are scored on their votes on animal protection bills.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texas Eagle Forum — Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues.
- Texas League of Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored based on votes relating to environment and conservation issues.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Tribune — Legislators are scored on their liberal or conservative voting records by Mark P. Jones, chairman of Rice University’s political science department.
- Texas Watch — Legislators are scored based on consumer-related bills.
- Young Conservatives of Texas — Legislators are scored based on their votes on conservative issues.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. Senate Texas |
Officeholder Attorney General of Texas |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Tribune, "Paxton trial updates: Prosecutors failed to convince 21 senators on any of the accusations," accessed September 16, 2023
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office," accessed September 18, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Ken Paxton was acquitted. See how each Senator voted." September 16, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Attorney General of Texas, "About Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton," accessed October 9, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Breaking down Democrats’ chances to beat Ken Paxton in Texas," May 27, 2026
- ↑ Candidate Connection survey submitted to Ballotpedia on September 1, 2026.
- ↑ Ken Paxton 2026 campaign website, "The Fight at Hand," accessed August 26, 2026
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Browse Independent expenditures," accessed October 23, 2026
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Browse Independent expenditures," accessed October 23, 2026
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Browse Independent expenditures," accessed October 23, 2026
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Browse Independent expenditures," accessed October 23, 2026
- ↑ Both independent U.S. senators — Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) — caucus with the Democrats.
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Ken Paxton Announces Bid for Attorney General," August 1, 2013
- ↑ Texas Right to Life, "Texas Right to Life begins 2014 endorsement process," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Empower Texans, "2014 Endorsements," November 19, 2013
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 Candidate funds," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ Twitter, "Patrick Svitek on May 27, 2023," accessed May 27, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune "Texas AG Ken Paxton impeached, suspended from duties; will face Senate trial," May 27, 2023
- ↑ Politico, "Texas lawmakers recommend impeaching AG Paxton after Republican investigation," May 25, 2023
- ↑ Texas house of Representatives, "Memorandum for Members of the House of Representatives Re: Impeachment Process," May 26, 2023
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Texas Tribune, "Investigators detail years of alleged misconduct by Texas AG Ken Paxton in stunning House committee hearing," May 24, 2023
- ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "The Texas Constitution," accessed May 31, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "@KenPaxtonTX," May 27, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office," accessed September 18, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acquitted on all 16 articles of impeachment," accessed September 16, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Ken Paxton was acquitted. See how each Senator voted." September 16, 2023
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 The Texas Tribune, "Here are the 20 articles of impeachment filed against Ken Paxton," May 25, 2023
- ↑ KHOU-11, "Has Texas impeached an elected official before?" May 25, 2023
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 The Washington Post, "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused of bribery and abusing his office by 7 top aides," October 5, 2020
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Houston Chronicle, "Second whistleblower who accused Texas AG Ken Paxton of corruption has been fired," October 22, 2020
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Texas AG Ken Paxton says he’s now investigating two of his top staffers," October 13, 2020
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Two more senior aides fired from Texas attorney general’s office in wake of criminal accusations against Ken Paxton," November 2, 2020
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Top aide in Texas attorney general's office terminated after accusing Ken Paxton of bribery," October 20, 2020
- ↑ The Panola Watchman, "The attorney general's office has sidelined four of the seven whistleblowers who reported Ken Paxton to law enforcement," October 25, 2020
- ↑ CBS Dallas/Fort Worth, "Another Top Deputy Resigns After Accusing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Of Crimes," October 26, 2020
- ↑ The Marshall News Messenger, "All seven of Texas AG Ken Paxton's whistleblowers have resigned, been fired or put on leave," November 1, 2020
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Last whistleblower fired from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office days after suing for retaliation," November 24, 2020
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 The Texas Tribune, "Attorney General Ken Paxton agrees to apologize and pay $3.3 million to whistleblowers in settlement," February 10, 2023
- ↑ Tanya Eiserer, Jason Whitely, Jim Douglas and Marie Saavedra, WFAA, Sources: Grand jury indicts Attorney General Ken Paxton," August 2, 2015
- ↑ Chuck Lindell, American-Statesman, "Ken Paxton arrested, booked; indictment released," August 3, 2015
- ↑ WFAA 8, "Paxton pleads not guilty; has until Sept. 3 to hire lawyer," August 27, 2015
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Paxton enlists help of top Houston defense attorney, former Dallas ADA," September 10, 2015
- ↑ Tanya Eiserer, WFAA.com, “Motions filed to amend Paxton indictments,” November 30, 2015
- ↑ Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman, “Ken Paxton to push for dismissal of charges as lawyers spar,” November 30, 2015
- ↑ Chuck Lindell and Jazmine Ulloa, Austin American-Statesman, "Lawyers for Ken Paxton, prosecutors clash at hearing," December 1, 2015
- ↑ Austin American-Statesman, "Ken Paxton loses another round in criminal case," July 5, 2016
- ↑ Lauren McGaughy, Dallas Morning News, "Texas AG Ken Paxton appeals fraud case again in final attempt to quash felony indictments," August 2, 2016
- ↑ Dallas News, "Dates set for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's trials in Harris County," April 12, 2017
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Texas appeals court: Ken Paxton judge must rescind recent orders," May 30, 2017
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "New Paxton case judge to be picked at random in Harris County," June 9, 2017
- ↑ U.S. News, "New Judge Named in Texas Attorney General's Criminal Case," June 13, 2017
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's criminal trial set for Dec. 11," July 27, 2017
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Judge delays Texas AG Ken Paxton's criminal trials as lawyers snipe at one another," October 5, 2017
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Ken Paxton’s criminal trial has been pending for nearly four years. Here’s a timeline of his legal drama," June 19, 2019
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will return to his native Collin County, judge rules," June 25, 2020
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's criminal case to be heard in Collin County, appeals court rules," May 27, 2021
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 67.3 Texas Tribune, "Judge again dismisses SEC case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton", March 2, 2017
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 Dallas Morning News, "Federal judge dismisses civil fraud charges against Attorney General Ken Paxton," October 8, 2016
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Judge Dismisses SEC Case Against Ken Paxton", October 7, 2016
- ↑ Courthouse News, "Texas AG Paxton Faces New SEC Fraud Suit", October 24, 2016
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "SEC Charges Ken Paxton With Securities Fraud," April 11, 2016
- ↑ 72.0 72.1 72.2 72.3 72.4 72.5 72.6 72.7 72.8 Governing, "Court makes it easier for companies to keep government contracts secret in Texas," September 25, 2015
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Attorney General of Texas 2023-Present |
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Attorney General of Texas 2015-2023 |
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Texas State Senate District 8 2013-2015 |
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Texas House of Representatives District 70 2003-2013 |
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