His wife filed for divorce citing adultery. In an ad for the Republican ticket, she never said his name.

What happened

Angela Paxton, a Republican state senator, filed for divorce in Collin County on July 10, 2025, saying she was seeking it “on biblical grounds.” Her petition accused him of adultery and said they had stopped living together as spouses in June 2024. ⁰¹

In September 2026, in a speech to the Texas Federation of Republican Women in Round Rock titled “The Elephant in the Room,” she urged members to vote Republican “even if we’re mad at them.” Attendees said she never once said her husband’s name. ⁰²

On Oct. 3, 2026, Texas PAC, a super PAC tied to Senate Republican leaders that has spent more than $126 million boosting Paxton, released an ad in which she urged Texans to vote for “the Republican ticket” on Nov. 3. She never said her husband’s name. ⁰³ Her office did not respond when asked whether she plans to vote for him. ⁰⁴

Texas Values Action, a Christian conservative group, withdrew its endorsement of Paxton after he declined to meet about the divorce, then later restored it. Pastor Rick Scarborough said he had not been able to get Paxton to address the scandals. As Paxton attacks his opponent’s faith, he has not named the church he attends, saying he worships “at churches in communities all across Texas.” ⁰⁵

As of October 2026, her spokesperson said the divorce was still underway. ⁰⁶

Why it matters

Paxton campaigns on faith and family values. His wife of nearly four decades accused him of adultery in court and, while urging votes for his party, would not say his name. ^{01 03 05}

What the sources show

The adultery allegation is in Angela Paxton’s divorce petition; no court has ruled on it. Ken Paxton has not addressed it on the campaign trail. ^{01 05}