Texas Senator Angela Paxton Divorcing Husband Ken on 'Biblical Grounds' Urges Voters To Back GOP

Texas state Senator Angela Paxton has urged Texas voters to support the Republican ticket in the 3 November election. Her television appeal backs the ticket led by her estranged husband Ken Paxton while she seeks a divorce on 'biblical grounds'.

Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July 2025 after 38 years of marriage, citing 'recent discoveries' behind her decision. Her filing cited adultery as the grounds and stated that the couple had ceased living together in June 2024. Ken Paxton, the state attorney general, is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate.

Why Angela Paxton Is Urging a GOP Vote

The direct-to-camera advert, reported by UPolitics, presents the election as a choice about party control. Angela Paxton never names her husband, instead urging Texans to consider the Republican ticket rather than focus on an individual candidate.

'I'm Texas Senator Angela Paxton,' she states at the beginning. 'People have asked my thoughts about this election, and it turns out, I have some.'

Her appeal centres on retaining Republican seats. 'Either we hold every Republican seat, or we hand the future of Texas to the other team,' she tells viewers. 'That's why I'm voting for the Republican ticket on Nov. 3. Let's hold the line together.'

Texas PAC paid for the advert. The group is affiliated with Senate GOP leadership and has spent more than $126 million (£95.4 million) supporting Ken Paxton's campaign.

Senate Stakes Behind Angela Paxton's Appeal

The advert attracted wide attention when it aired during a Dallas Cowboys game. Political observers told Fox 4 in Dallas that it appeared designed to reach moderate Republicans who intended to support Governor Greg Abbott and the rest of the ticket but doubted Paxton.

Democratic nominee James Talarico criticised the message. He argued that urging Texans to ignore the candidate and simply vote for a party was exactly what was wrong with politics.

The appeal coincided with Paxton trailing Talarico in polling. A New York Times poll put Talarico six points ahead in a contest that could help determine control of the Senate. That potential national consequence also forms the backdrop to Angela Paxton's appeal for Republicans to retain their seats. The latest New York Times/Siena poll has Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 45%.

Angela Paxton's Marriage and Political History

The couple met as students at Baylor University and married in 1986. Angela Paxton has represented her husband's former North Texas state Senate district since 2019, with their political careers continuing alongside their marriage and subsequent separation.

She also attended Ken Paxton's 2023 impeachment trial in the Texas Senate, where testimony addressed his alleged extramarital affair. Angela Paxton was barred from voting, and the Senate ultimately acquitted him.

The divorce filing initially appeared to threaten his Senate ambitions. At the time, the National Republican Senatorial Committee backed incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the primary and seized on the news to attack Paxton. Senate Republican leaders subsequently supported Paxton as the nominee.

Angela Paxton had largely remained quiet about the race before telling a group of conservative women to vote Republican 'even if we're mad at them.'

She is not the only member of the family to intervene in the campaign. The couple's daughter, Mattie Hayworth, also appears in a separate advert in defence of her father.