On Tuesday night, May 26, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Senator John Cornyn in the Republican runoff primary. The stunning race set a record as the most expensive Senate primary race in U.S. history.
Just a week before the runoff, Paxton received the endorsement of Donald Trump. He has a strong following among the state’s Republican base.
paxton previously thanks trump Seeking support, she wrote on Facebook: “Thank you, @DonaldTrump! Polls are open. Bring five friends. Post your photo and remind Texans it’s Election Day! Let’s work together to make Texas great.”
Paxon has been involved in a number of high-profile controversies during his tenure, including allegations of bribery, abuse of power, securities fraud and the fallout from impeachment in 2023. Here’s a look at Paxton’s controversy.
Ken Paxton Controversy
2008: Paxton was a member of the Texas House representing McKinney in 2008 when he and another congressman allegedly invested in a company that received millions from state contracts, and Paxton voted for the company through state spending bills, the Associated Press reported. Paxton allegedly profited from contracts awarded to video equipment company Watchguard during his tenure. The allegations came to light after a lawsuit was filed by a competing company claiming that contract bids were rigged in Watchdog’s favor.
2013: Back in 2013, Paxton was accused of stealing another attorney’s pen. The $1,000 Montblanc pen was a gift from attorney Joe Joplin’s wife. The sheriff told The News that Joplin realized the pen was missing and asked the deputy to review surveillance video, which showed Paxton pocketing Joplin’s pen. Paxton later returned the pen to Joplin. When asked by The Dallas Morning News what he thought happened, Joplin said, “You can guess.”
2015: The year Paxton took office as attorney general set off a years-long legal saga involving felony securities fraud charges. In the summer of 2015, Paxton was indicted on charges of defrauding investors, the Chron reported. He is accused of encouraging other lawmakers to invest in McKinney-based Servergy in 2011 without telling them he would receive a commission. He allegedly falsely claimed to be an investor in the company, which was later charged with fraud by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2016.
2020: In October 2020, a group of conservative attorneys working in Paxton’s office reported him to the FBI after accusing him of bribery and abuse of power, KVUE reported. The FBI began investigating allegations that Paxton abused his position to aid friend and political donor Nate Paul, a wealthy Austin real estate developer. In 2024, the Justice Department quietly declined to pursue the case, The Associated Press reported.
2020: At least four attorneys who worked in Paxton’s office were fired after reporting Paxton to the FBI. They then sued Paxton for violating the Texas Whistleblower Act. The lawsuit was filed with the Texas Supreme Court in 2023, and Paxton later agreed to pay $3.3 million to his attorneys and apologize, the Texas Tribune reported.
2022: The State Bar of Texas sued Paxton for professional misconduct after he filed lawsuits against Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin back in 2020 over discredited election fraud claims. Paxton’s lawsuit was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which said Texas did not have standing to sue over other states’ election procedures.
