Wife backs GOP without naming him

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's estranged wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, released an ad on Saturday urging voters to support the Republican midterm ticket, but did not mention Paxton's Senate bid by name.

She filed for divorce last year

Angela Paxton filed for divorce from Ken Paxton last year citing biblical grounds. She appeared in the ad saying she is voting for the Republican ticket on November third.

The cryptic message in the ad

In the ad, Angela Paxton invited voters to talk about the elephant in the room, a phrase that appeared to reference her estranged husband without naming him directly.

“talk about the elephant in the room”

Focus on the team, not individuals

Angela Paxton said in the ad that in a general election it is not about individual players but getting the whole team across the finish line, urging voters to hold every Republican seat.

“In a general election, it's not as much about the individual players on the team; it's about getting the whole team across the finish line”

Paxton's troubled tenure as AG

Ken Paxton's time as attorney general has been marked by allegations of abuse of office and bribery. The Republican-controlled Texas House impeached him in two thousand twenty-three, but the state Senate later acquitted him.

Senate trial touched on infidelity

The Senate trial that acquitted Ken Paxton touched on allegations of infidelity. Paxton has denied any wrongdoing regarding all allegations against him.

His daughter campaigns for him

Ken Paxton's daughter Mattie Hayworth recently appeared in an ad for her father alongside her husband and children, criticizing liberal politicians and saying her dad stands up for families.

“When they come after you, my dad goes after them to bring down prices and stand up for families”

Race tightens as election nears

An NBC Dallas-Fort Worth poll in late September showed Democrat James Talarico at forty-six percent and Paxton at forty-three percent, within the margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. Eight percent remained undecided.

Trump backs Paxton heavily

President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary and has urged voters to support him. Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., has put millions into Paxton's race and Trump visited Texas twice in the last month.

“Because we have to win that race. Ken Paxton has to win.”

One of the cycle's costliest races

The ad featuring Angela Paxton was funded by Texas PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. The Texas Senate race has become one of the most expensive in the current cycle.