Ken Paxton Deflects Question About Infidelity During Tele-Town Hall in U.S. Senate Campaign
Key Takeaways
- •Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declined to address a caller's direct question about his extramarital affair during a U.S. Senate campaign tele-town hall event.
- •Paxton's infidelity was connected to an abuse-of-power scandal that resulted in his impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives in May 2023, though he was not convicted by the Texas Senate.
- •Following his acquittal, Paxton supported primary challengers against several state representatives who voted for his impeachment, contributing to multiple incumbent defeats in the 2024 Republican primaries.
- •Paxton is currently running for the U.S. Senate against Democratic state representative and Presbyterian minister James Talarico in a notably competitive race.
- •The issue of Paxton's infidelity has repeatedly surfaced during his campaign, including hecklers disrupting a Houston event earlier in the same week.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faced an uncomfortable moment during a tele-town hall event held as part of his campaign for the U.S. Senate, when a caller directly confronted him about his extramarital affair.
"Hi Paxton, nice to meet you," the caller said. "I'm just wondering — why did you cheat on your wife?"
Paxton declined to engage with the question. "Um. I'm not going to talk about personal issues that relate to my family, just like I don't think you would want to discuss your marriage on a call with thousands of people," he responded. "All I can tell you is that I'm proud of my kids."
Video of the exchange was shared by journalist Aaron Rupar on social media: https://x.com/atrupar/status/2087271879749042286
The topic of Paxton's infidelity is not merely a personal matter. His extramarital relationship, which contributed to the breakdown of his marriage, has been directly tied to a broader abuse-of-power scandal. That scandal culminated in the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives voting to impeach Paxton in May 2023 — making him one of few attorneys general in the state's history to face impeachment. He was ultimately not convicted following a trial vote in the Texas Senate later that year. In the aftermath, Paxton worked behind the scenes to support primary challengers against several of the state representatives who had voted for his impeachment, contributing to the defeat of several incumbents in the 2024 Republican primaries.
Paxton, who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, is currently competing in an unusually competitive U.S. Senate race against Democratic state representative and Presbyterian minister James Talarico. The race has drawn attention as Paxton attempts to leverage his strong ties to the Trump-aligned wing of the Republican Party into a bid for federal office. The issue of his infidelity has followed him throughout the campaign trail. Earlier in the same week, hecklers disrupted a campaign event in Houston, shouting "You cheated on your wife!" while Paxton attempted to question Talarico's Christian faith.
The original article is available at: https://www.rawstory.com/ken-paxton-2677688635/
