# Ken Paxton Three-term Texas Attorney General (2015–present), running in the 2026 Republican primary for U.S. Senate against four-term incumbent [[John Cornyn]]. MAGA-aligned figure with a long history of legal and political controversy, most notably his 2023 impeachment by the Texas House and acquittal by the Texas Senate. ## Career highlights - Elected Texas AG 2014, re-elected 2018 and 2022 - Filed Texas v. Pennsylvania (2020) seeking to overturn Biden's election in four swing states; case dismissed by U.S. Supreme Court for lack of standing - **Impeached by Texas House September 2023** on articles including bribery, abuse of office, and obstruction of justice; **acquitted by Texas Senate** after partisan trial - SEC securities-fraud indictment pending for years before being resolved; FBI corruption investigation reportedly still active as of late 2025 (NEEDS VERIFICATION of current status) ## 2026 cycle Finished first-round primary tied with Cornyn at ~41% March 3; **runoff May 26**. Running as the MAGA-base candidate against Cornyn's institutional brand. **Trump endorsed Paxton on May 19, 2026**, calling him a "true MAGA Warrior" — resolving a months-long neutrality and reshaping the final week of the runoff. The endorsement came during early voting and amid the Adam Hoffman plea deal scandal. If Paxton wins the primary, the general election becomes more competitive despite Texas's R lean. See [[TX-Sen-2026]] for full race context. ## Ideological positioning - MAGA movement figure; personal loyalty-oriented politics more than institutional-policy identity - Christian Nationalist-adjacent; long relationship with Texas religious-right networks - Central legal architect of the post-2020 GOP election-challenge effort; his legal credibility tied to that history - His impeachment makes him the purest test of "base loyalty vs. scandal" as a 2026 primary dynamic ## AG Office: Adam Hoffman Plea Deal (May 2026) In May 2026, Paxton's AG office became the center of a child-sexual-abuse plea deal scandal that drew bipartisan condemnation. **The case:** Adam Hoffman, a 49-year-old Waco attorney, was indicted on first-degree felony continuous sexual abuse of a young child — a charge carrying 25 years to life without parole in Texas. The local McLennan County DA recused because Hoffman was a member of the Waco legal community; the case was transferred to Paxton's AG office in 2023. **The first trial:** Hoffman's first trial ended in a hung jury (7–5 in favor of guilty) in June 2025. A mistrial was declared and the case was set for retrial. Paxton's office had been running the case for two and a half years by this point. **The plea deal:** Rather than retrying, Paxton's AG office offered Hoffman a plea to two Class A misdemeanors (indecent assault and displaying harmful material to a minor). The terms: **one day in jail, no sex offender registration, and law license suspension with eligibility to reapply by 2031.** Hoffman pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors on April 16, 2026. **The judge's response:** Visiting Judge Roy Sparkman (a former Republican judge) said he was "troubled" by the deal. He increased the sentence from 1 day to 30 days, then doubled it at sentencing on May 14 to **60 days** in McLennan County Jail — still a fraction of the original life-without-parole exposure. **Bipartisan blowback:** State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-McKinney), chair of the Texas House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence (and one of the lead House managers who prosecuted Paxton's 2023 impeachment), held a press conference at the McLennan County Courthouse calling the plea deal "a betrayal of victims and a betrayal of the community." Leach formally invited Paxton to appear before the [[House Judiciary Committee]] to explain the deal. **Paxton has not responded.** **Trump endorsement timing:** Trump endorsed Paxton on May 19, 2026 — calling him a "true MAGA Warrior" who has "always delivered for Texas" — while the Hoffman scandal was actively unfolding. The endorsement came during early voting for the May 26 runoff. Source: Qasim Rashid, "[Ken Paxton's office offered a child molester ONE day in jail and NO sex offender registration](https://letsaddresstexas.substack.com/p/ken-paxtons-office-offered-a-child)," *Let's Address Texas* (Substack), May 20, 2026. ## Voter Registration Targeting Paxton has used his AG office to pursue a sustained legal campaign against voter registration organizations: - **Powered by People:** Filed lawsuit (Aug 2025) against [[Beto O'Rourke]]'s voter registration nonprofit, alleging deceptive fundraising and seeking charter revocation. Courts have systematically rejected his claims — including a federal judge ruling Paxton acted in "bad faith." See [[Paxton v. Powered by People]]. - **Jolt Initiative:** Investigated this Latino civic participation nonprofit on similar allegations of illegal noncitizen registration — triggered by a [[Maria Bartiromo]] FOX News post. Federal judges found insufficient evidence. - **Voter roll sharing:** Texas shared its entire 18.4M voter roll with the Trump DOJ in January 2026, including personally identifying information. This pattern connects to the federal-level [[NSPM-7 Domestic Terrorism Framework]] framework's targeting of progressive nonprofits — Paxton represents the state-level implementation. ## Related - [[TX-Sen-2026]] - [[John Cornyn]] - [[Beto O'Rourke]] - [[Paxton v. Powered by People]] - [[NSPM-7 Domestic Terrorism Framework]] - [[MAGA]] - [[Christian Nationalism]]