Texas State Senator Angela Paxton stars in a new campaign ad to encourage Texans to vote Republican in this year’s midterm election, in which her estranged husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is running for U.S. Senate against Democratic nominee James Talarico.
[NOTE: In July 2025 after 38 years of marriage, Angela Paxton filed for divorce, citing adultery and “biblical grounds.” Ken Paxton has denied the allegation.]
As seen in the video below, she says: “I’m Texas Senator Angela Paxton. People have asked my thoughts about this election and turns out, I have some. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. 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. Either we hold every Republican seat or we hand the future of Texas to the other team. That’s why I’m voting for the Republican ticket on November 3rd. Let’s hold the line together.”
Would love to know what consultant thought this ad was a good idea.
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) October 4, 2026
The ad, which conspicuously did not mention Ken Paxton’s name, drew negative responses from numerous political pundits, including Washington Post Chief Political Correspondent Karen Tumulty, who replied: “Would love to know what consultant thought this ad was a good idea.”
Former New York Times media reporter Bill Carter also replied: “They believe they know their voters: party power is everything. Personal integrity is less than worthless bc it gets in the way of the utter corruption we live by. They count on their voters nodding along.”
Political strategist and commentator Blake Ashby, founder of RedStateDemocrats.org, wrote: “But given their other options, this was probably the best they could do. It will shave off a few voters for him, and remind many others why they dislike him so much in the first place.”
[NOTE: The Times reported that “Mr. Paxton is trailing James Talarico, his Democratic opponent, in every recent poll,” including a poll it released with Siena University over the weekend.]
In another ad, the Texas AG’s candidacy for Senate was promoted by another family member — this time his daughter Mattie, who used Ken Paxton’s name and said her children called him Pop-Pop, though the candidate’s presence with her family is shown only through a video call on a mobile phone. (see below)
Ken Paxton’s pending divorce is not the only biographical note indicating separation between him and the Republican “team” Angela Paxton cites. In 2023, the Republican-led Texas House impeached him on charges of bribery and abuse of office. The Texas Senate subsequently acquitted him on all articles of impeachment.