McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge on Friday ordered the release of court documents detailing how U.S. Senate candidate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce months after she filed for divorce, citing “biblical grounds.”
The order comes after Paxton’s attorneys reached a deal with a media coalition to make the records public. The documents were not immediately available early Friday.
The revelations are likely to intensify attacks on Paxton in one of the nation’s most heated Republican primaries as he seeks to unseat Sen. John Cornyn. It remains to be seen whether the details of the divorce will resonate with voters, with Senate primaries scheduled for March 3 next year. Despite years of controversy, the three-term attorney general remains competitive in the race, which includes Rep. Wesley Hunt.
The divorce comes after 38 years of marriage, during which time Angela Paxton supported her husband through a series of legal issues, including state and federal corruption investigations. State securities fraud charges against Ken Paxton were dismissed after he struck a plea deal in 2024, agreeing to pay restitution and complete community service, and the Justice Department dropped a federal corruption investigation earlier this year. The 2023 impeachment trial ended in acquittal.
Angela Paxton also sided with Ken Paxton during that impeachment trial, publicly revealing his extramarital affair. But announcing on social media that she had filed for divorce in July, she cited “recent revelations.”
Despite a decade of legal troubles, Paxton’s support in Texas remains strong. He won re-election in 2022 by nearly 10 percentage points.
Paxton launched his campaign to unseat Cornyn in April and has since come under attack from the Senate Republican campaign arm, with some in the party concerned that while Paxton might win the Republican primary, he could complicate the general election and force national Republicans to spend huge sums to hold on to their seat. On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico face off in their party primaries.
Pro-Coryn groups have spent more than $21 million on television ads this year to promote the four-term senator and attack Paxton, according to AdImpact.
“What Ken Paxton put his family through is truly disgusting and disgusting,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in July. “No one should have to endure what Angela Paxton went through, and we pray for her as she chooses to stand up for herself and her family during this difficult time.”
Paxton has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, while Cornyn has at times been criticized within the party for working with Democrats.
Trump’s support is expected to be a deciding factor in Texas, a state he won by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024. Trump has yet to express his support in the campaign.
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