Ken Paxton’s political career, more than that of any other Republican candidate campaigning in this cycle, charts the arc of the religious right. The most influential of its activists and donors engineered his rise as a culture warrior at each of its phases from his creation through every disgrace. His race for the Senate, the culmination of his ambition, has become not only his last stand, but also the Alamo for Christian nationalists in Texas.

Paxton’s rap sheet explains his Christian identity politics as a shield to distract from the liability of his own record of financial and sexual scandals scrolling back decades. The 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, adopted by the Republican-controlled Texas house of representatives in May 2023, were double the Ten Commandments that Paxton insists should be displayed in every Texas classroom.

Paxton had allegedly engaged in bribery when a campaign contributor, Nate Paul, secured a job for Paxton’s alleged mistress, a former senate aide, at World Class Holdings, a real estate firm owned by Paul. Paul allegedly created a fake Uber account for Paxton to travel secretly for liaisons with his mistress and paid for renovations at Paxton’s house. In exchange, Paxton allegedly interfered with a federal inquiry into accusations of financial fraud against Paul involving $172m in loans by passing on sealed FBI documents, installing a special prosecutor in his office as the state’s attorney general to target and harass the federal agents and judges investigating Paul’s crimes, and halting foreclosures on Paul’s properties. In April 2025, Paul took a plea deal of four months of home confinement, five years of supervised release, and a $1m fine.

The Republican-dominated Texas senate by a 16-to-14 vote acquitted Paxton in his impeachment trial in September 2023. After Paxton’s federal indictment in 2015 on felony counts of financial securities fraud, he avoided trial by copping a plea under which he would perform 100 hours of community service, take 15 hours of legal ethics courses, and pay $271,000 in restitution to the fleeced investors.

Paxton’s wife, the state senator Angela Paxton, attended the impeachment trial, but was barred from voting. She had been instrumental in advancing his career, a political force in her own right, a crucial conduit to Christian nationalist leaders and funders. They had met as students at Baylor University, had four children, and she presented their “sacred covenant” as a faith-based partisan calling. “I’m a pistol-packing mama, and my husband sues Obama,” she told cheering crowds. He financed her election with a $2m loan from his campaign fund, and once in office she filed bills to increase his office and salary.

In July 2025, Angela Paxton filed for divorce on “biblical grounds”. This July, Paxton was photographed on a trip to Iceland and London with the Christian influencer Tracy Duhon.

The religious right that raised up Paxton has cared little about........

© The Guardian