Ken Paxton (R)

Paxton describes himself as a 'strong fiscal conservative' who will 'cut taxes and stop the wasteful spending' that built $36T in debt. He praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as 'HISTORICAL legislation that's going to unleash economic growth.' His campaign explicitly supports Trump's tax agenda, the CLARITY Act for crypto, and rolling back 'harmful regulations' on energy. He has not published a position on the pending expiration of Trump-era individual tax cuts or on the 50-year mortgage proposal. Trump's endorsement frames him as fighting to 'Cut Taxes and Regulations.'

Paxton issued the 2023 AG opinion declaring Texas school vouchers and Education Savings Accounts constitutional, holding that Blaine Amendments excluding religious schools violate the First Amendment. He called Texas's $1B voucher law 'a historic step in ensuring that students will have the freedom to seek the educational option that is right for them.' In 2024 he sued seven school districts (including Denton, Frisco, Denison) alleging principals and superintendents illegally electioneered against pro-voucher candidates. In Jan. 2026 he opined that the Comptroller can block voucher schools 'illegally tied to terrorists or foreign adversaries,' leading to exclusion of CAIR-affiliated Islamic schools and a lawsuit. Trump's endorsement specifically lists 'Promote School Choice' among Paxton's commitments.

As AG, Paxton built one of the country's most aggressive state tech-enforcement programs, securing a $1.4B Meta settlement on biometric data and $1.375B in Google settlements on geolocation and biometric data. He reached a first-of-kind generative AI settlement with healthcare-AI company Pieces Technologies over misleading accuracy claims and opened investigations into Character.AI, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, and Discord. He has not taken a public position on whether federal law should preempt state AI regulation. Sen. Paul Bettencourt asked Paxton in May 2026 to investigate Texas counties (Hill, Hood) that passed data-center moratoriums, signaling a pro-development posture. His campaign issues page does not specifically address AI or data centers.

Paxton was impeached by the Texas House on bribery and abuse-of-office charges in May 2023 (121-23) and acquitted by the Texas Senate in September 2023. He settled a nine-year state securities fraud case in 2024 by paying ~$300K in restitution with no admission of guilt, and the DOJ declined to prosecute him federally in early 2025. A May 2026 Texas Tribune/ProPublica investigation identified at least 30 AG cases filed in counties with tenuous connection to the alleged wrongdoing — forum-shopping that Paxton himself had previously denounced in 2017. Tribune reporting (May 2026) detailed a one-day-in-jail plea deal his office offered in a Waco child sex abuse case. His Senate campaign frames all of this as 'politically motivated witch hunts' and promises to 'drain the Swamp.'

Paxton has 'gone after the ACA in court numerous times and has long opposed the law,' per Tribune reporting. He has not publicly addressed the 2025 expiration of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, projected to drop hundreds of thousands of Texans from coverage. He has vigorously defended Texas's near-total abortion ban with its fertilization-onward fetal personhood definition and has not commented on Trump's IVF accessibility plan. He sued the Biden administration in 2024 to block CMS nursing-home minimum staffing rules, arguing they would force rural facilities to close. In Sept. 2025 he won a federal ruling striking down a CMS rule that would have expanded federal oversight of state Medicaid funding mechanisms.

Paxton publicly said 'In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up' after Texas SB 10 mandated such displays in 2025. When a federal judge enjoined the law in nine districts, Paxton said the rest of Texas 'must abide' by it. He has launched multiple investigations and lawsuits against Muslim organizations including CAIR, the East Plano Islamic Center, and Catholic migrant shelter Annunciation House. He issued the AG opinion declaring Blaine Amendments excluding religious schools from voucher funds unconstitutional under the Free Exercise Clause. He attends Stonebriar Community Church and frames his agenda in explicitly Christian terms.

Paxton promises to 'revitalize American manufacturing, create American jobs, and restore the American Dream' alongside Trump's economic agenda. He supports energy dominance, deregulation, and crypto innovation including passage of the CLARITY Act. As AG he sued BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard, accusing them of trying to 'artificially manipulate the coal market' through ESG-aligned divestment. He praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and supported ending renewable-energy tax credits. He has not publicly addressed Trump's USMCA withdrawal consideration or 50-year mortgage proposal.

Paxton's Senate campaign issues page does not contain a dedicated small-business plank, but his AG record is genuinely strong on the NFIB legislative agenda. His 2024 amicus brief in Texas Top Shop v. Garland helped secure a nationwide preliminary injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act's Beneficial Ownership Information reporting requirement, which carried penalties up to $500K and 10 years in prison. He joined an Ohio-led amicus brief against the Biden DOL tipped-employee rule, protecting restaurants and hospitality from FLSA reinterpretation. NFIB-Texas PAC endorsed his 2022 AG re-election. But his Tylenol lawsuit, 'request to examine' statute use against companies (initially ruled unconstitutional), and the Tribune/ProPublica forum-shopping investigation create the regulatory-uncertainty exposure the Texas Association of Business has flagged.

Paxton led the multistate DACA lawsuits since 2018, convincing Judge Hanen and the Fifth Circuit to block new first-time DACA applications. His office has sued the Biden administration more than 100 times on immigration including catch-and-release, parole programs, and the border wall. On the H-1B visa specifically he said: 'I want legal immigration… But it's got to be decided by Congress. Our immigration laws work if we follow them.' In Jan. 2026 he opened an H-1B fraud investigation against three North Texas businesses. His campaign priority is helping Trump 'deport the criminal illegal aliens Joe Biden invited into the country' and complete the border wall.

Paxton sued six Texas cities (Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, Denton, and Dallas) between 2024 and 2025 over local decriminalization ordinances and ballot measures. He calls cannabis 'an illicit substance that psychologists have increasingly linked to psychosis and other negative consequences.' After SB 3 (the legislative THC ban) failed in two special sessions and Gov. Abbott vetoed it, Paxton's office and DSHS used administrative rulemaking to impose a 'total delta-9 THC' calculation effectively banning most current hemp products. The Texas Hemp Business Council sued Paxton and DSHS in April 2026 over those rules. His position holds that municipalities cannot pick and choose which state laws they enforce.

Paxton led the multistate ATF lawsuit that killed the Biden-era 'Engaged in the Business' rule expanding background checks on private firearm sales. He sued ATF over the pistol stabilizing-brace rule in partnership with Gun Owners of America, who endorsed his Senate campaign. He joined Montana-led amicus briefs challenging New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act and ATF's bump-stock reclassification. He has repeatedly attacked Cornyn for negotiating the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, calling it an infringement on Texans' Second Amendment rights. Trump's endorsement statement lists protecting the Second Amendment among Paxton's commitments.

Paxton's Senate campaign issues page does not have a dedicated seniors, Medicare, or Medicaid plank. He sued the Biden administration in 2024 to block CMS minimum staffing rules for nursing homes, arguing they would force rural facilities to close due to a 10,000-worker shortfall. He won a federal ruling in Sept. 2025 striking down a CMS rule expanding federal oversight of state Medicaid funding. He has long opposed the ACA and has not commented publicly on the enhanced premium tax credit expiration that disproportionately affects near-elderly adults age 50-64. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country and has not expanded Medicaid; Paxton has not used his platform to advocate for expansion.

Paxton wants to 'defeat the radical transgender movement that's desperate to put men in girls' sports and woke indoctrination in our classrooms.' He led the investigation and lawsuit against Texas Children's Hospital over gender-affirming care, resulting in a May 2026 settlement with the Trump administration. He called Talarico 'completely and totally morally bankrupt' for the Democrat's positions on gender and abortion. His campaign frames LGBTQ-rights advances as part of a broader 'radical left' agenda. He has not staked out a position on Trump's IVF accessibility plan despite the fetal-personhood implications.

Paxton's campaign promises an 'America First foreign policy that promotes peace through strength, prioritizes our nation's interests first and foremost.' He has criticized Cornyn's votes on Ukraine aid but has not staked out specifics on the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace framework that would require Kyiv to cede territory. His campaign explicitly opposes 'sending billions to foreign countries and protecting the borders of other nations.' He has not publicly addressed Trump's consideration of USMCA withdrawal. Trump's endorsement specifically calls out Paxton's commitment to 'Support our Incredible Military/Veterans.'