Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas. Every point on this page links to its source. We don't grade candidates or tell you how to vote. As of 2026-09-28.
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Where they stand
In their own words, from their campaign website, summarised in plain English.
Economy and cost of living
Paxton says he will work to bring down costs, remove regulations he says hurt energy companies, and help revitalize American manufacturing and jobs to restore the economy.
“Ken Paxton will help bring down costs and remove harmful regulations designed to hurt our energy companies.”
Paxton says he will cut taxes and stop what he calls wasteful government spending that has driven up the national debt.
“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.”
Paxton says he wants more transparency and accountability in food and healthcare systems, and would work to limit the influence of pharmaceutical and food companies on Americans' health.
“Ken Paxton believes Americans deserve transparency, accountability, and the freedom to make informed choices about their health.”
Paxton says his foreign policy priority will be putting American interests first, promoting peace through military strength, and focusing on the safety of American citizens rather than sending money to other countries.
“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.”
From FEC filings for 2025–26. Outside spending is money a group spends on its own about a candidate — TV and online ads, mail, canvassing. It is not a donation to the campaign, and the candidate does not control it. Supporting means it was spent to help that candidate win; Opposing means it was spent to defeat them, usually on attack ads. Groups report it within 24 or 48 hours as the election nears. Raised is the campaign's own fundraising, as of its latest quarterly report. Largest donors come from each outside spender's own FEC receipts, with each donor's share of its itemized receipts; donors under $100,000 are not named. People are shown with the employer and occupation they reported. A donor that is itself a political committee is shown with its own largest donors. Companies and nonprofits don't report their funders to the FEC, so the trail ends there, and the page says so.
Ken Paxton (REP)
Raised
$9.2M through 2026-06-30individuals $9.0M · PACs $158K · party $62K · from the candidate's other committees $6,633 · cash on hand $1.8M
TEXAS PAC— $37.1M supporting Paxton
· 12 ads on this pageTEXANS FOR A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY— $25.0M opposing PaxtonLargest donors:
John L III Nau $6.9M (19%), SED Holdings, Chairman AND CEO; OHIO WORKS INC. $5.5M (15%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); AMERICA WORKS FUND INC $3.4M (9%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); LEON RACHEL CORP $2.0M (5%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); CONDORCET INITIATIVE CORP $1.6M (4%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC)LONE STAR RISING PAC— $12.6M opposing PaxtonLargest donors:
Reid Hoffman $11.5M (53%), Greylock Partners, Partner; GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS PAC $3.8M (17%); AMERICA VOTES $900K (4%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); WORKING FOR WORKING AMERICANS - FEDERAL $525K (2%); Simone Coxe $500K (2%), NOT EmployedMAGA INC.— $7.5M supporting PaxtonLargest donors:
FORIS DAX, INC. $35.0M (8%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Diane Hendricks $25.0M (6%), Hendricks Holding CO Inc., Chairman; Miriam O Adelson $25.0M (6%), LAS Vegas Sands Corporation, Director OF Community Development; GEMINI TRUST COMPANY $24.4M (6%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Jeff Yass $16.0M (4%), Susquehanna International GRP, Managing DirectorLONE STAR LIBERTY PAC— $4.4M supporting PaxtonLargest donors:
Douglas Scharbauer $1.2M (12%), Midland Chamber OF Commerce, Consultant; Jonathan Knutz $1.1M (11%), Legacy Medical Consultants, CEO; PRESERVE TEXAS INC. $1.0M (10%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); THOMAS J HENRY LAW PLLC $646K (6%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Gary Heavin $500K (5%), Curves International, CO-Founderand 20 more
What named supporters and critics say, as reported. Shown in equal numbers.
Praise
Donald Trump: Says Paxton was the best attorney general in the country for the last ten years or more, despite mocking his appearance. dallasnews.com
Accurate?
Rep. Jodey Arrington: Says no attorney general fought more vigorously against the Biden administration's overreach than Paxton and endorses him for Senate. usatoday.com
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Tony Buzbee: Paxton's lead impeachment defense attorney reiterated his support for Paxton in the Senate race. pbs.org
Accurate?
Tim Scott: NRSC chairman brushed off concerns about Paxton, saying the GOP's strategy for the race is strong and well-funded. cnn.com
Accurate?
Criticism
Dade Phelan: Said Paxton and Patrick have a problem with him because he does what's best for the state, not for them. texastribune.org
Accurate?
House impeachment managers: Accused Paxton of engaging in a complex cover-up, using a burner phone and fake Uber name to hide his relationship with donor Nate Paul. texastribune.org
Accurate?
George Seay: Longtime Cornyn donor said Paxton's nomination meant Texas was now definitely in play for Democrats. nbcnews.com
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Smith: Longtime Cornyn staffer who joined Talarico's campaign called Paxton the most corrupt, self-dealing politician in Texas. foxnews.com
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Controversies
Stated as reported. Most are reported by at least two independent news outlets or found in an official record; any with only one source so far is marked Single source.
Court cases
Securities fraud indictment and pretrial resolution Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Paxton was indicted in 2015 on three felony counts of securities fraud, accused of soliciting investors in Servergy Inc. without disclosing he was being compensated. The case ended in 2024 with a pretrial diversion agreement requiring community service, legal ethics training and restitution, and the charges were dismissed in 2025 without a guilty plea.
Response: “There will never be a conviction in this case nor am I guilty,” Paxton said in a statement
The SEC filed civil fraud charges against Paxton in 2016 over the same Servergy stock allegations, saying he raised $840,000 for the company and received shares without disclosing his compensation. A federal judge dismissed the case in 2016, but the SEC refiled amended charges; the case did not proceed to further resolution described in these sources.
Response: “We are disappointed by the SEC’s decision to continue this case, given the court’s opinion and the clear infirmities the court found with the commission’s original complaint,” Paxton lawyer Matthew Martens said in a statement.
Whistleblower lawsuit and $6.6 million judgment Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Four former top deputies sued Paxton in 2020 under the Texas Whistleblower Act after they said they were fired for reporting him to the FBI over dealings with donor Nate Paul. A Travis County judge ruled in 2025 that Paxton's office violated the act and awarded the plaintiffs $6.6 million; Paxton initially appealed but dropped the appeal in July 2025.
Response: Paxton called the ruling “a ridiculous judgment that is not based on the facts or the law”
The Texas Senate held a two-week impeachment trial in September 2023 on 16 articles of impeachment alleging bribery and abuse of office; senators voted to acquit Paxton on all articles, with all but two Republicans voting to clear him.
State Bar professional misconduct lawsuit over 2020 election challenge Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
The State Bar of Texas's Commission for Lawyer Discipline filed a professional misconduct lawsuit in 2022 alleging Paxton made dishonest representations in his lawsuit seeking to overturn 2020 election results in four states; Paxton sought to dismiss the suit, calling it politically motivated, and the case remained ongoing as of 2024 reporting.
Response: “Texas Bar: I’ll see you and the leftists that control you in court,” Paxton said
Whistleblower lawsuit settlement attempt Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
In 2023 Paxton reached a tentative agreement to settle the whistleblower lawsuit for $3.3 million, requiring him to apologize and pay former staff, without admitting wrongdoing; the settlement required legislative funding approval, which lawmakers withheld amid an investigation that led to impeachment.
Response: Paxton “closed the case,” but reiterated his position that it was a “bogus judgement in support of baseless claims by rogue employees.”
Alleged extramarital affair raised in impeachment and divorce
Impeachment managers alleged Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman employed by donor Nate Paul, and his former chief of staff testified he confessed to the affair in 2018; the allegations resurfaced in 2025 when his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce citing adultery.
Ethics disclosure omissions regarding real estate holdings Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Reporting found Paxton and his blind trust failed to disclose multiple out-of-state properties worth millions on required state ethics filings for several years; he disclosed additional properties in 2025 after a rule change, though he maintained he had complied with the law.
Federal financial disclosure discrepancies Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported that Paxton's federal Senate candidate financial disclosures appear to violate federal ethics law, including reporting no rental income on properties that were listed for rent, omitting mortgages on Utah condos, and undervaluing land later revalued at a much higher price.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune identified at least 30 lawsuits filed by Paxton's office over nine years in counties with tenuous connections to the alleged wrongdoing, a practice critics call forum shopping; a lawyer for defendants in one case accused the office of doing this to seek favorable judges and juries, and legal experts said the approach contradicts a law Paxton once championed against forum shopping.
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
A Texas Republican filed a federal mortgage fraud complaint against Paxton alleging he claimed multiple homes as his primary residence on mortgages while renting other properties, potentially violating mortgage terms and securing lower rates, according to an AP report cited in the complaint.
FBI/federal corruption investigation into Nate Paul dealings Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Following the 2020 whistleblower reports, the FBI and later the Justice Department's public integrity section investigated Paxton on possible bribery, obstruction of justice and related charges tied to his relationship with donor Nate Paul; the Justice Department declined to prosecute in the final weeks of the Biden administration, as reported by the Associated Press.
Response: He has denied wrongdoing across all his legal cases.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported Paxton voted six times in two years while registered at a Collin County address where he no longer appeared to live after moving out in 2024; the Collin County Democratic Party filed a complaint asking the Texas secretary of state to investigate possible election fraud.
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
In May 2023 the Texas House voted overwhelmingly, with support from a majority of House Republicans, to impeach Paxton on 20 articles including bribery, abuse of office and obstruction of justice tied to his relationship with donor Nate Paul, based largely on whistleblower allegations.
2020 lawsuit seeking to overturn presidential election results Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Paxton filed a lawsuit at the U.S. Supreme Court in December 2020 seeking to invalidate ballots and block Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from casting Electoral College votes for Biden, alleging unconstitutional changes to election procedures; the Supreme Court rejected the suit for lack of standing.
Unpaid campaign finance ethics fines Single source
Only one source found so far. We keep looking for a second, independent report.
Reporting found Paxton owed the state over $11,000 in fines for filing late campaign finance reports, and that his own agency, the attorney general's office, would be responsible for suing to collect fines from himself, a situation described by a watchdog group as a conflict of interest.
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