Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defeated Senator John Cornyn in a Republican run-off primary on Tuesday night, May 26. The stunning contest set a record for the most expensive Senate primary campaign in US history.
Paxton secured Donald Trump’s endorsement just a week out from the runoff election. He has a strong following in the state’s Republican grassroots.
Paxton previously thanked Trump for the endorsement, writing on Facebook, “Thank you, @DonaldTrump! Polls are now open. Bring five friends with you. Post your photos to remind Texans that today is election day! Let’s work together to make Texas great.”
Paxon has been embroiled in numerous high-profile controversies throughout his tenure, including accusations of bribery, abuse of office, securities fraud, and the fallout of his 2023 impeachment. Here’s a look at Paxton’s controversies.
Ken Paxton’s controversies
2008: Paxton was a Texas House member representing McKinney in 2008 when he and another lawmaker allegedly had investments in a company that got millions from state contracts, that Paxton had voted on through state spending bills, per the Associated Press. Paxton allegedly profited from the contracts that Watchguard, a video equipment company, secured while he was in office. The allegations came to light after a competing company sued, claiming the contract bidding was rigged in Watchdog’s favor.
2013: Back in 2013, Paxton was accused of stealing another lawyer’s pen. The $1,000 Montblac pen was a gift to attorney Joe Joplin from his wife. Joplin realized it was missing and asked a sheriff to review the security footage, which revealed that Paxton had pocketed Joplin’s pen, the sheriff told the News. Paxton later returned the pen to Joplin. On being asked by the Dallas Morning News what he thought had happened, Joplin said, “You can surmise that.”
2015: The year Paxton assumed the office of attorney general kicked off a years-long legal saga over securities fraud felony charges. In the summer of 2015, Paxton was indicted over accusations of defrauding investors, according to Chron. He was accused of encouraging other legislators to invest in McKinney-based company Servergy in 2011 without telling them he would make a commission. He allegedly misrepresented himself as 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 who worked in Paxton’s office reported him to the FBI after accusing him of bribery and abuse of office, according to KVUE. The FBI began investigating claims that Paxton had misused his office to aid friend and political donor Nate Paul, a wealthy Austin real estate developer. In 2024, the Justice Department quietly declined to continue pursuing the case, per the Associated Press.
