Ken Paxton — Candidate Profile

Party: Republican

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Ken Paxton

Republican
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Summary

Ken Paxton is the Texas Attorney General who has served since 2015 (third term). A 62-year-old attorney, Paxton previously served in the Texas House (2003-2015) and Texas Senate before becoming attorney general. He is a longtime Trump ally who has made a national profile through high-profile lawsuits against the Biden administration. Paxton has survived multiple political and legal challenges including impeachment by the Texas House on corruption charges in 2023 (acquitted by the Texas Senate), a decade-long securities fraud indictment (settled in 2024), an ongoing FBI investigation into corruption allegations that was closed without prosecution, and allegations of extramarital affairs. Despite these scandals, he has maintained strong support among conservative Republican primary voters and Trump's base.

Background

Ken Paxton is a Texas-based attorney who has built a career in Republican politics. He served in the Texas House (2003-2015) representing the McKinney area, then in the Texas Senate before becoming Attorney General in 2015. As AG, he earned a national profile through high-profile litigation against the Obama and Biden administrations. Paxton has been affiliated with various civic organizations in the Dallas-McKinney area including the Allen Chamber of Commerce, McKinney Rotary, and Stonebriar Community Church.

Sources

  1. Ballotpedia - Ken Paxton
  2. Wikipedia - Ken Paxton
  3. Wikipedia - 2026 Senate election in Texas
  4. PBS News - Paxton acquitted (September 2023)
  5. Texas Tribune - Ken Paxton announced bid (April 2025)
  6. CNN - Cornyn vs Paxton (March 2026)