Ken Paxton seeks Senate seat despite trail of controversies

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 15:31 · Archive

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, a Republican facing a history of scandals, is running for US Senate but struggling in polls.

Ken Paxton, Texas's Republican attorney general, is running for US Senate but struggling in the polls despite support from Donald Trump and hardcore conservative voters. The 63-year-old is viewed with scepticism by the broader voting public and political observers describe him as bland.

Paxton has survived numerous controversies throughout his career. He settled state prosecution on securities-related charges without admitting guilt, faced impeachment by the Republican-led Texas legislature on abuse-of-office charges from which he was later acquitted, and has been involved in various scandals. According to The Guardian, these have included a 2011 incident where a tech entrepreneur alleged he gave Paxton company shares, which critics characterised as an illegal commission (an allegation both Paxton and the entrepreneur denied), and a 2013 claim that Paxton allegedly stole a fellow lawyer's pen.

Despite this history, Paxton remains a political survivor. Trump endorsed him, telling supporters that Paxton 'may not dress right, he may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I've ever seen'. Some Republican voters in Texas are nonetheless weighing whether to support his Senate bid given his past.

How it is being reported

• Republican, Democratic strategists weigh in on if Ken Paxton has a likability problemSome Republican voters in Texas are weighing whether to elect Ken Paxton to the U.S. Senate despite his checkered past. Political strategists Harrison Fields and Robyn Patterson join with more.CBS News · 19 Oct, 15:11
• Can Ken Paxton outrun a trail of scandal to win US Senate seat in ruby-red Texas?The Republican state attorney general appears uniquely ill-chosen as a candidate – but he is a political survivor who could yet frustrate Democratic dreams Depending how you look at the situation, it is either predictable that Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney general and Republican candidate for US Senate, is struggling in the polls – or impressive that he is not doing worse. Beloved by hardcore Maga voters and regarded with skepticism by the broader voting public, Paxton is also puzzlingly bland. Recently, Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters that the 63-year-old Paxton “may not dress right…The Guardian · 18 Oct, 10:00

In this story: Ken Paxton · Donald Trump · Texas · United States

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