Trump Endorses Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate Bid Despite Years of Corruption Allegations

(SeaPRwire) –   President Donald Trump announced his endorsement on Tuesday for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his campaign to defeat incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the state’s closely watched Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump stated on Truth Social, adding that “Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly.”

Trump also criticized Cornyn, noting that the long-serving senator had not supported him during difficult times. “John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself, both of which were Landslide Victories,” he explained.

Neither Paxton nor Cornyn secured more than half of the vote in the March Republican primary, prompting a runoff election scheduled for May 26. Trump’s endorsement comes just one week ahead of the runoff.

A recent poll from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University, released on Monday, indicates the race remains highly competitive. In a hypothetical matchup between Cornyn and Democratic nominee James Talarico, 45% of likely voters favored Cornyn, while 44% supported Talarico. In a race between Paxton and Talarico, both candidates would receive 45% of the vote.

Paxton, a staunch ally of Trump, has been embroiled in numerous political and personal controversies since before launching his Senate bid. In 2015, he was indicted on charges of defrauding investors. He pleaded not guilty, and the legal proceedings lasted nine years, during which he was reelected as state attorney general twice. In 2024, Paxton reached a settlement with prosecutors, agreeing to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution and complete 100 hours of community service in exchange for the charges being dropped.

In 2020, amid the ongoing case, eight senior staffers accused Paxton of accepting bribes from a real estate developer and abusing his office. The aides reported the allegations to the FBI, which launched an investigation. Paxton subsequently fired four of the whistleblowers, leading them to sue for retaliation; they were awarded $6.6 million. The FBI probe and the whistleblower lawsuit prompted the Texas House of Representatives to impeach Paxton in 2023 on 20 articles. However, the Texas Senate later acquitted him on 16 counts and dismissed the remaining four. The Department of Justice declined to pursue charges against Paxton in 2024, effectively closing the federal investigation two years after taking over the case from state authorities, according to The Associated Press.

During Paxton’s impeachment trial in the state legislature, accusations of infidelity surfaced prominently. The impeachment prosecutor alleged that the real estate developer who allegedly bribed Paxton hired his girlfriend to facilitate secret meetings in Austin. Paxton’s wife, Angela Paxton, a member of the Texas Senate, filed for divorce in 2025 citing “biblical grounds.”

In a tweet on Tuesday, Paxton expressed gratitude to the president for his endorsement and pledged to advance Trump’s agenda in the Senate.

“No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!” Paxton wrote.