AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton has risen from a little-known state lawmaker to President Donald Trump’s choice for the U.S. Senate.
His time in office has made him one of the nation’s most powerful state attorneys general. Now, he has his sights set on unseating longtime Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff Tuesday.
What to know about Paxton:
Paxton, 63, entered politics in 2003 after winning a seat in the Texas House from Collin County. He later served in the Senate, building a reputation as a hard-line conservative closely aligned with the Tea Party movement. In 2014, he was elected attorney general, succeeding Greg Abbott.
Paxton transformed the attorney general’s office into one of the country’s most aggressive conservative legal operations, challenging Democratic administrations, Texas cities, universities, tech companies and others. Some targets accused Paxton of filing splashy suits for political gain, then quietly failing to follow through once the headlines faded.
The prospect of prison time hung over Paxton for nearly a decade after his 2015 indictment on securities fraud charges tied to allegations that he misled investors. The case ended in 2024 after he agreed to pay restitution without admitting wrongdoing.
The GOP-led Texas House impeached Paxton in 2023 on corruption allegations. Former top aides accused him of abusing the powers of his office to benefit a political donor. His acquittal in the Senate only strengthened his standing with many grassroots conservatives, who saw him as politically persecuted.
Paxton’s public split from state Sen. Angela Paxton of McKinney reignited allegations that he had extramarital affairs, after she announced she was filing for divorce on “biblical grounds.” The breakup gave the Cornyn campaign fodder for a series of negative ads and created tension for Paxton with some faith-based voters.
Paxton became one of Trump’s fiercest allies, disputing the 2020 presidential election results in four states and standing with Trump during the Washington rally before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump later cited Paxton’s loyalty in endorsing him.
