Ken Paxton

Ken Paxton, the son of an Air Force veteran, earned a B.A. 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. He spent 14 years building his own law firm in McKinney, Texas, before entering public office. He served in the Texas House of Representatives and then the Texas Senate before being elected Attorney General of Texas; he is the state's 51st attorney general. In 2023 the Texas House impeached him and the Texas Senate acquitted him. He entered the 2026 Republican primary for U.S. Senate against four-term incumbent John Cornyn. In the March 3, 2026 primary neither candidate won a majority, and in the May 26, 2026 runoff Paxton defeated Cornyn, who conceded and said he would support him in the general election. Paxton faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November 3, 2026 general election.