Ken Paxton takes Texas GOP AG nom, cutting off Bush political dynasty
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination to run again for his seat on Tuesday, dashing challenger George P. Bush’s hopes to continue his family’s iconic political dynasty.
Paxton, a favorite of former President Donald Trump and many in the Texas GOP, took home the nomination with 61.1% of the vote over Bush’s 32.9% in the run-off election. The race was called by the Associated Press with 51% of the state’s precincts reporting.
The election was held two months after the March primary, where both candidates failed to garner the 50% necessary to avoid a showdown. At the time, Bush earned 22% of the vote, 20 percentage points behind Paxton.
On Nov. 8, Paxton will face off against either Democratic candidates Rochelle Garza or Joe Jaworski.
Bush – son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and grandson of former President George H. W. Bush – had been seeking to unseat Paxton since June of last year, saying he “brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to this office.”
“And as a career politician for 20 years, it’s time for you to go,” Bush said at his kickoff event.
Paxton has been accused of abusing his office by at least eight of his former deputies and is facing felony securities-fraud allegations.
On Thursday, prominent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) blasted the scandals surrounding the incumbent attorney general, saying “it’s a source of embarrassment to me that thas had been unresolved,” according to the Texas Tribune.
Despite the controversies, Paxton has repeatedly won favor with Trump, who has praised him for pushing hard on the border and false claims of fraud about the 2020 presidential election.
“Attorney General Ken Paxton has been bravely on the front line in the fight for Texas, and America, against the vicious and very dangerous Radical Left Democrats, and the foolish and unsuspecting RINOs that are destroying our Country,” Trump said in an endorsement of Paxton.
“Ken is strong on Crime, Border Security, the Second Amendment, Election Integrity and, above all, our Constitution. He loves our Military and our Vets. It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again. Ken has my Complete and Total Endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safe—and will never let you down!”
Paxton has won favor among many Texas Republicans who support his tough-on-border decisions, including his April lawsuit against the Biden administration over a move that would allow border officials to process asylum claims.
Additionally, he garnered support from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in February over a legal opinion in which Paxton declared it child abuse for parents to sign off on their underage child’s medical procedures to transition genders.