Ken Paxton

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In Texas Race, a Big Decision Looms: Trump's Endorsement

Republican leaders pushing for him to back incumbent Sen. Cornyn over Ken Paxton

(Newser) - President Trump says he plans to endorse a candidate in the closely watched Texas GOP Senate runoff —and top Republicans are pushing for him to pick incumbent Sen. John Cornyn over state Attorney General Ken Paxton, reports Semafor . The thinking—voiced by GOP Sens. John Thune, Steve Daines, and...

Texas, NC Dems Set the Stage for a Senate Takeover
Texas, NC Dems Set the
Stage for a Senate Takeover
THE RUNDOWN
Mar 4, 2026 6:15 AM CST

Texas, NC Dems Set the Stage for a Senate Takeover

Blue turnout surges in Texas, NC primaries, with multiple races headed toward runoffs

(Newser) - The first primaries of the 2026 midterm cycle in Texas and North Carolina have set up key Senate contests and exposed vulnerabilities for some incumbents in multiple congressional races. Results so far point to a costly Republican showdown in Texas, a marquee Senate race in North Carolina, and early signs...

Cornyn, Paxton Advance to Runoff in GOP Primary

Wesley Hunt, running a distant third, concedes

(Newser) - Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will compete in a May runoff for the Republican nomination for US Senate. Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term, and Paxton were the top finishers in a three-way contest Tuesday with Rep. Wesley Hunt. No candidate hit the 50% vote...

All Eyes on Two Pivotal Races in Texas Primaries

Republicans, Democrats have tight contests for John Cornyn's Senate seat

(Newser) - It's Election Day in Texas, with competitive Senate primaries for both Republicans and Democrats on the ballot, reports the Hill . At stake is whether Democrats will ultimately pull off the rare feat of flipping a GOP seat in their favor in the state.
  • GOP: On the Republican side, four-term
...

Harris Makes Her Pick in High-Stakes Texas Race

Ex-VP backs close ally Jasmine Crockett in pivotal Democratic primary for Senate

(Newser) - Kamala Harris just placed her biggest political bet since leaving office, throwing her support behind Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas' tight Democratic Senate primary. In a recorded message to Texas Democrats first reported by the Texas Tribune , the former vice president and POTUS contender urged Dems to back Crockett as...

Texas Sues Facility That Smells Like 'Boiling Blood'

State alleges rendering plant's hydrogen sulfide emissions harm residents' health

(Newser) - Neighbors in one fast-growing central Texas town say the air has turned stomach-turning—and now the state is taking a local plant to court. Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Darling Ingredients, which runs a rendering facility in Bastrop, accusing it of releasing noxious odors and air pollutants in violation...

Texas Sues Johnson & Johnson Over Tylenol Autism Warning

State claims drugmaker hid risks of acetaminophen during pregnancy

(Newser) - In an unprecedented move, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the company failed to inform consumers about potential risks of taking Tylenol during pregnancy. This is the first time a state government has brought such a case, following recent federal guidance that...

Undocumented Students in Texas See Tuition Soar

Trump administration hopes to make this an issue far beyond the state

(Newser) - As a new school year begins, thousands of undocumented college students in Texas are facing soaring tuition bills under a fast-tracked deal between state leaders and the Trump administration to scrap their in-state tuition. Now, the same tactic may be used in other states, reports the Washington Post . In...

Amid Redistricting Fight, Texas AG Wants Beto O'Rourke Jailed

Ken Paxton claims former lawmaker is defying a court order

(Newser) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is pushing for the arrest of Beto O'Rourke, alleging the former Democratic congressman defied a court order by raising funds for Democratic lawmakers who left Texas during a heated redistricting standoff, USA Today reports. At the heart of the tension is a recent...

Judge Stops O'Rourke's Aid to Absent Texas Democrats

Paxton called the effort a 'deceptive financial influence scheme'

(Newser) - A Texas judge has temporarily barred Beto O'Rourke from financially supporting Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a Republican redistricting plan , intensifying the legal and political standoff over the future of Texas congressional districts. The order, handed down in Tarrant County by Judge Megan Fahey, contends...

Ken Paxton's Wife Seeks Divorce on 'Biblical Grounds'

Split follows impeachment trial and allegations of extramarital affair

(Newser) - Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton announced Thursday she is seeking a divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, citing "biblical grounds." In a message posted on X , the Republican lawmaker described marriage as a "sacred covenant," the Texas Tribune reports. She said she...

Ken Paxton Sues Allstate: 'Texans Deserve Better'

Texas AG accuses insurance firm of collecting driving data via mobile apps to raise rates

(Newser) - Texas isn't so sure you're in good hands with Allstate. State Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday announced that his office is suing the insurance company, alleging that it gathered location data from more than 45 million customers, which was then sold or otherwise used to build the...

Texas to Trans People: You Can't Change Sex on License

(Newser) - In the same week that gender was ruled "changeable" in Australia , halfway around the world, Texans were blocked from changing the sex listed on their driver's licenses. An internal memo issued Tuesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety says, in effect, that transgender people cannot change the...

Facial Recognition Costs Meta $1.4B in Texas

Lone Star State had sued over unauthorized use of Texans' biometrics

(Newser) - Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over claims that the tech giant used biometric data of users without their permission, officials said Tuesday. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the settlement is the largest secured by a single state, reports the...

Texas AG Ken Paxton Reaches Deal to Drop Fraud Charges

He'll pay around $300K to settle long-running case

(Newser) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade. The announcement by special prosecutors in a Houston courtroom came less than three weeks before Paxton was...

SCOTUS Says Border Agents Can Cut Texas' Razor Wire

Court ruled 5-4 on emergency appeal

(Newser) - The Supreme Court sided 5-4 with the Biden administration on Monday, allowing Border Patrol agents to cut through razor wire Texas officials installed along the border to deter migrants. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar urged the justices to "restore Border Patrol's access to the border it is charged...

Texas Supreme Court Officially Rules Against Woman in Abortion Case

Kate Cox had already left the state to obtain the procedure elsewhere

(Newser) - After a pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal condition left the state to get an abortion elsewhere , the state Supreme Court on Monday rejected her unprecedented challenge of one of the most restrictive bans in the US, the AP reports. The court's ruling against Kate Cox, a...

After Top Court Blocks Abortion, Texas Woman Leaves State

Kate Cox has 'been in and out of the emergency room and she couldn't wait any longer'

(Newser) - A pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the US has left the state to obtain the procedure, her attorneys said Monday. The announcement came as Kate Cox, 31, was awaiting a ruling from the...

Republican Vote Holds as Texas Senate Acquits Paxton

GOP House had approved impeachment, but party-line verdict restores attorney general to office

(Newser) - Republicans in the Texas Senate came to Attorney General Ken Paxton's aid on Saturday, delivering an acquittal of the impeached official on a vote at the Capitol in Austin. Paxton faced 16 articles of impeachment, each of which required 21 votes, a two-thirds majority, for conviction. On every charge,...

Prosecutors Abruptly Rest Case in Texas AG's Impeachment

After alleged mistress shows up, does not testify

(Newser) - The prosecution in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial rested its case Wednesday in what media outlets are painting as a surprise move that was preceded by another surprise, the appearance—but failure to testify—of the AG's alleged mistress, a central figure in the case . Paxton...

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