Candidate · November 3, 2026
Ken Paxton
On the ballot for U.S. Senate · Texas
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $22M
- cash on hand
- $4.8M
- issues with public statements
- 7
- outside spending for or against
- $182M
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. Senate · Texas1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Republican Party1, |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Ken Paxton is the 51st Attorney General of Texas; he was elected in November 2014, took office in January 2015, and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022.3 He was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2002 and represented House District 70 for 10 years, and in 2012 he was elected to the Texas Senate for District 8 in Collin and Dallas counties.3 He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and an M.B.A. from Baylor University, where he was student body president, and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.3,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running to carry out President Trump's legislative priorities in the Senate, including cutting taxes, securing the border and deporting people who are in the country without legal permission.5 It also says he is running to keep the Democratic nominee, James Talarico, from representing Texas in the Senate.5,
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitekenpaxton.com6,
7 - Facebookfacebook.com/kenpaxtontx6
- X (Twitter)x.com/kenpaxtontx6
- YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KenPaxtonTX6
- Official websitetexasattorneygeneral.gov/about-office3
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Immigration
His campaign website says he would help President Trump finish building the border wall.5
- Build walls or fencing along much more of the border
- Add barriers only in selected places, relying mainly on technology and agents
- Build no new barriers and spend the money on other border security
His campaign website says he would help President Trump deport people who are in the country without legal permission, and it singles out those who have committed crimes.5
Education
His campaign website says he opposes letting athletes who were born male compete in girls' sports.5
- Require teams based on sex at birth
- Let each state decide
- Let schools or sports organizations set rules case by case
- Teams based on gender identity
His campaign website says he would work with President Trump against what it describes as efforts by the transgender movement to bring its views into classrooms.5
Abortion and Reproductive Health
His campaign website says that in the Senate he would stand with President Trump against abortion.5
Taxes and Budget
His campaign website says he would work to cut taxes and stop what it calls wasteful federal spending, pointing to a national debt of more than $36 trillion.5
Economy, Jobs and Trade
His campaign website says the United States should lead the world in cryptocurrency, calls for clear federal rules that support the industry's growth, and supports passing the CLARITY Act.5
- Write separate federal rules for crypto, as the House-passed bill would, with most tokens overseen as commodities rather than securities
- Write separate crypto rules, but with stricter protections than the House-passed bill, such as tougher anti-money-laundering rules or ethics limits on senior officials' crypto businesses
- Apply the same rules that already cover stocks, banks and other financial products
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.8
| Raised | $22,327,474 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $17,543,066 |
| Cash on hand | $4,784,408 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $93,799,549 supporting and $88,237,056 opposing Ken Paxton this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through October 26, 2026.9
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| TEXAS PAC | $69,696,483 | — |
| TEXANS FOR A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY | — | $24,960,684 |
| Lone Star Rising PAC | — | $24,057,096 |
| Texas Forever | — | $19,395,056 |
| Lower Costs Now | — | $8,233,307 |
| MAGA INC. | $7,525,000 | — |
| America PAC | $4,997,480 | — |
| LONE STAR LIBERTY PAC | $4,356,691 | — |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
Senate candidates and senators file with the Senate's own disclosure system, which asks each visitor to agree to its terms before searching, so we can't link straight to a filing. You can search for Ken Paxton at efdsearch.senate.gov10.