Texas Attorney General

Ken Paxton has been Texas Attorney General since 2015, after serving in the Texas House from 2003 to 2013 and the Texas Senate from 2013 to 2015³²⁴. He won the 2026 Republican Senate nomination by defeating incumbent John Cornyn in a May 26 runoff². He was impeached by the Texas House in May 2023 and acquitted by the Texas Senate in September 2023²³²⁴.

Where they stand

• Abortion: Illegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incest Official action · low confidence
  • Sued a New York doctor for mailing abortion drugs to a Texas resident in violation of Texas law. (2024-12-13) source
  • Campaign platform says he will stand with President Trump to defend the unborn. (2026) source
• Guns: Keep current laws and enforce what is already on the books Official action · low confidence
  • Sued, with Gun Owners of America, to block an ATF rule treating pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles. (2023-02-09) source
  • Led a multistate lawsuit against an ATF rule expanding who must be licensed to sell firearms privately. (2024-05-01) source
  • Campaign platform promises to protect gun rights and criticizes Republicans and Democrats who have attacked Second Amendment rights. (2026) source
• Immigration: Deport everyone here illegally, as quickly as possible Said · low confidence
  • Campaign platform says he will champion securing the border and deporting illegal aliens, and help finish the border wall. (2026) source
  • Won a Fifth Circuit ruling, in a lawsuit Texas brought, affirming that the federal DACA policy is unlawful. (2025-01-17) source
• Birthright citizenship: No, end it for children of parents here illegally or temporarily Said · medium confidence
  • Sued a Houston-area birth tourism business that helped Chinese nationals give birth in Texas. (2026-04-29) source
  • Said in announcing the suit that birthright citizenship is a scam that threatens national security. (2026-04-29) source
• Transgender athletes: No, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed options Official action · medium confidence
  • Sued the NCAA under Texas consumer law, asking a court to bar biological males from women's events involving Texas teams. (2024-12-22) source
  • Campaign platform pledges to defeat the effort to put men in girls' sports. (2026) source
• Religion in schools: Support Texas's laws: Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periods Official action · high confidence
  • Sued Round Rock and Leander school districts for refusing to display donated Ten Commandments posters as required by Texas SB 10. (2025-11-18) source
• Redistricting: State legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantage Official action · high confidence
  • Asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let Texas use its 2025 mid-decade congressional map. (2025-11-21) source
  • Said Texas engaged in partisan redistricting solely to secure more Republican seats in Congress. (2025-11-21) source
  • Won a Supreme Court ruling allowing the 2025 map to be used for the 2026 elections. (2026-04-27) source
• Kids online: Require app stores and platforms to verify age and get parental consent Official action · high confidence
  • Defended Texas' age verification law for pornography sites and won at the U.S. Supreme Court. (2025-06-27) source
  • Defended Texas' app store law requiring age verification and parental approval for minors' app downloads in the Fifth Circuit. (2026-06-01) source
• Energy and climate: Maximize oil and gas; climate rules hurt the economy Official action · medium confidence
  • Sued the Biden administration to block an EPA rule limiting methane and other emissions from oil and gas operations. (2024-03-08) source
  • Campaign platform promises to remove harmful regulations designed to hurt energy companies. (2026) source
• DEI programs: Ban DEI offices and required training at public institutions, as Texas has Official action · medium confidence
  • Issued a legal opinion declaring DEI frameworks in more than 100 state laws unconstitutional, including DEI programs in schools and state and local government. (2026-01-19) source
• Aid to Ukraine: Stop sending aid and stay out of it Said · low confidence
  • Criticized Sen. John Cornyn for voting for the Senate's Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid package, posting that Cornyn would defend other countries' borders but not America's. (2024-02-13) source
  • Campaign platform criticizes sending billions to foreign countries and protecting the borders of other nations. (2026) source
• Foreign policy: Pull back from foreign conflicts and aid (often called America First) Said · low confidence
  • Campaign platform backs an America First foreign policy of peace through strength and criticizes sending billions to foreign countries. (2026) source
• Marijuana: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Official action · medium confidence
  • Sued Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton over policies telling police not to enforce marijuana possession laws. (2024-01-31) source
• Death penalty: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Official action · medium confidence
  • Disputed calls to spare Robert Roberson, whose execution had been delayed, and released the child's autopsy report, saying it showed the conviction was not based on shaken baby syndrome. (2024-10-23) source
• Income taxes: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Said · medium confidence
  • Campaign platform says he will fight to cut taxes and champion President Trump's legislative priorities, including cutting taxes. (2026) source
• National debt: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Said · medium confidence
  • Campaign platform says he will stop the wasteful spending that led to more than $36 trillion in debt. (2026) source

No public position found on: Social Security, Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Trade and tariffs, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Aid to Israel, China policy.

Record

• Member of the Texas House from 2003 to 2013 and the Texas Senate from 2013 to 2015³; Texas Attorney General since 2015²⁴.
• Indicted in 2015 on state securities fraud charges; in March 2024 he agreed to a pretrial intervention requiring community service, legal ethics training and about $300,000 in restitution, with no admission of guilt, and the charges were dismissed on June 18, 2025²⁵.
• Filed a lawsuit at the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the 2020 presidential results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; the Court rejected it²⁴.
• Impeached by the Texas House 121 to 23 on May 27, 2023²³; the Texas Senate acquitted him on all 16 articles tried on September 16, 2023²⁴.
• In August 2025 asked the Texas Supreme Court to declare vacant the seats of 13 Democratic House members, including James Talarico, over the redistricting quorum break²¹; the court rejected the petition on May 15, 2026²².
• Defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the May 26, 2026 Republican primary runoff with 63.8% of the vote².
• Certified as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot¹.