Ken Paxton Allegedly Cheated Twice in Two Years, Trump Is Now Asking Texans to Trust and Vote for Him Anyway

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing one of the most consequential votes of his political career, and he is doing so following two alleged affairs, a divorce and a prior impeachment. On Tuesday, as polls opened across Texas for the Republican Senate runoff against incumbent Senator John Cornyn, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to urge voters to back Paxton, writing, 'Texas, Vote for Ken Paxton, our Country's BEST Attorney General!'

It was a full-throated endorsement for a man whose personal conduct has drawn sustained scrutiny. Paxton's ex-wife, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, filed for divorce in July 2025, writing on social media, 'Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds... In light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.'

A Second Alleged Affair Ends a 38-Year Marriage

The divorce came after the Daily Mail exclusively reported that Paxton, 62, had allegedly been secretly seeing Tracy Duhon, 57, a married Christian influencer and mother of seven. The Daily Mail reported, citing multiple unnamed sources, that Duhon was allegedly the reason Paxton's marriage had collapsed. IBTimes has not independently verified the account. Paxton's office dismissed the report as the work of a 'foreign tabloid,' though his spokesperson did not specifically dispute the individual allegations.

According to the Daily Mail's reporting, Paxton and Duhon allegedly met at the 2024 Kentucky Derby, where both were staying as guests in the home of friends. Two months after that encounter, Duhon filed for divorce from her then-husband, Troy Duhon, a Louisiana businessman and owner of 39 car dealerships, ending their 27-year marriage. The Daily Mail further reported, citing unnamed sources, that the pair met for secret trysts on trips across the country and even overseas. On social media, Duhon had built a following around faith and grief counselling, including writing a book titled 'When Hope Is All You Have.'

Not the First Time

This was not Paxton's first affair scandal. In 2023, allegations of a previous relationship with Laura Olson formed part of his impeachment trial in the Texas state House. He was accused during the impeachment proceedings of misusing his office and accepting bribes; the charges included allegations relating to Olson. He denied all wrongdoing and was acquitted by the state Senate. Through it all, Angela Paxton stood by him — until the emergence of the Duhon allegations, which appeared to be the breaking point after 38 years of marriage.

Senator Cornyn's reelection campaign subsequently filed a public records request seeking Paxton's travel records and correspondence with Duhon, citing a Washington Examiner report that alleged the trips may have used official resources. 'Crooked Ken Paxton used his office and taxpayer resources to conduct and conceal an affair once before,' Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak said in a statement at the time.

Cornyn's Warning to Texas Republicans

Cornyn has argued that Paxton's baggage makes him a liability not just for the Senate seat but for the entire Texas Republican ticket. Speaking on Fox and Friends on Tuesday, he said, 'I think I can be the most help to the president and his agenda in the last two years of his term of office, and all the downballot races... Ken Paxton will be an albatross. He could well lose, but even if he doesn't lose, he will win by such a razor-thin margin that it's likely to have a negative drag on the downballot races in Texas.' He separately warned that defending Paxton against Democratic nominee James Talarico could cost the party 'hundreds of millions of dollars.'

Despite those warnings, Trump's endorsement appears to have moved the race decisively. While Cornyn received nearly 32,000 more votes than Paxton in the March primary, Paxton became the runoff favourite after securing the president's backing. Trump had previously called Paxton a 'true MAGA warrior' while criticising Cornyn for not supporting him 'when times were tough.' Paxton marked runoff day by posting an AI-generated image of himself alongside Trump with the caption, 'Polls are open. We need your vote,' alongside the message 'Faith. Duty. America First.'

The Texas Senate runoff carries significant implications beyond state lines. A Paxton victory would represent a direct test of whether Trump's endorsement can override concerns about a candidate's personal conduct and ethical record within the Republican base. It also signals how far the MAGA movement's influence extends into primary races against long-serving party incumbents. For Democrats, a weakened or scandal-hit Paxton as the eventual nominee could open a rare opportunity in a historically Republican state.