The facts
Donald Trump gave Ken Paxton the most backhanded endorsement in the history of Texas politics, and it still might have been the high point of Paxton's week. "Let me tell you, it's true, he may not dress right, he may not talk exactly perfectly and he may not be the best looking guy I've ever seen," Trump told a laughing audience at the American Airlines Center on Sept. 9 about the Republican Senate nominee. "But you know what he is? He's the greatest attorney general in America and he deserves to be your next senator."
The audience laughed. Republican voter Tamara Berger, 56, of Seguin, said she was "disgusted" by the presentation: "Give me a break. Nobody is perfect."
Paxton is viewed favorably by 43% of likely voters and unfavorably by 55%, per a late September Texas Southern University poll; just 29% of suburban voters view him favorably versus 54% unfavorably, per the Texas Politics Project. Multiple surveys show a tight race against Democrat James Talarico, some with Talarico up by as much as 6 points, in a state Trump carried by 14 in 2024.
"Republicans have arrived at this really problematic situation where they have a candidate that we know much of the professional Republican class thought was vulnerable and would be not the best candidate to have at the top of the ballot," said James Henson of the Texas Politics Project.
The baggage is well documented. Paxton was impeached on bribery charges in 2023 by the Republican-controlled Texas House; he was accused of using his power as attorney general to benefit a real estate developer who helped remodel his home and who employed a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair. He denied the charges and the state Senate acquitted him after a two-week trial. In 2025, his wife Angela, a state legislator, announced their divorce on "biblical grounds" after almost four decades of marriage. Other embarrassing episodes include being forced to return another lawyer's $1,000 pen that he plucked at a Texas courthouse in 2013.
Asked how well "honest and trustworthy" describes Paxton, just one-third of voters said very to somewhat well. More than half said the opposite, including 29% of Republicans and 44% of independents who said "not at all." Only a quarter of Republican voters picked "very well"
The party has not rallied. John Cornyn, the four-term senator Paxton beat in the primary, told CNN on Sept. 25 he has no plans to support Paxton's campaign, "for all the reasons we pointed out in the primary." Cornyn has also called his rival "lazy" and a "poor campaigner."
Paxton has tried to soften his image by talking about a childhood eye injury, saying in a Sept. 28 post on X: "When I was a child, poor medical care permanently damaged my eye," adding: "It taught me how important quality, affordable healthcare is for families." Meanwhile Republicans are spending millions attacking Talarico, a 37-year-old state legislator and Presbyterian seminary student, as too liberal or "not masculine enough." Paxton said at a Sept. 30 rally in El Paso: "I've never seen someone so willing to weaponize faith to sell a radical agenda."
The Trump factor is fading. The president's approval is at a career low of 31% nationally per AP-NORC polling released Oct. 1, and 43% in Texas. And in audio obtained by The New York Times, Paxton himself admitted the September convention was no help, saying it "dropped our numbers" and that "Everybody's numbers dropped." His adviser Nick Maddux called the report "manipulated nonsense".
Our take
What a fucking pathetic circus. Donald Trump, the supposed kingmaker, stood on a stage and delivered what might be the shittiest endorsement in political history. He looked at Ken Paxton, his own party’s nominee for a US Senate seat, and told a laughing crowd the cunt ‘may not dress right, may not talk exactly perfectly and may not be the best looking guy I’ve ever seen.’ That’s not a fucking endorsement, you absolute clowns. That’s the shit you mutter about the weird uncle you’re stuck sitting next to at Thanksgiving. The audience laughed because it was a joke, and the punchline is that this grifting, impeached, pen-stealing asshole is the best the Texas GOP could fucking muster. The high point of Paxton’s week was being introduced as the ugly, poorly-dressed, inarticulate guy. Think about that for one fucking second. His zenith was being a national pity-fuck from a failing president. And the kicker? Leaked audio has this dickhead admitting the whole Trump spectacle ‘dropped our numbers.’ The magic touch is now a fucking curse. Trump shows up to bless you, and your poll numbers take a shit. It’s political chemo: the treatment is killing the patient. Now look at this walking catastrophe. Impeached for bribery by his own party’s House. Acquitted by a Senate where his soon-to-be-ex-wife worked, which is just a spectacularly fucked-up family business. She then divorced his sorry ass on ‘biblical grounds’ after he allegedly fucked around with a woman employed by the developer he was allegedly taking bribes from. This motherfucker’s scandal has more layers than a shitty wedding cake. He even got caught pinching another lawyer’s thousand-dollar pen like a common stationery goblin. He’s a bargain-bin crook. And his big rebrand? A sad-sack post on X about a childhood eye injury teaching him about healthcare, while his campaign spends millions calling his opponent, a fucking seminary student, ‘not masculine enough’ and accusing him of ‘weaponizing faith.’ The hypocrisy is so thick you could spread it on toast. This prick’s marriage ended on ‘biblical grounds’ and he’s attacking someone else’s faith? He’s a fucking cartoon villain. The party wants nothing to do with him. The senator he beat in the primary won’t endorse him, calling him ‘lazy’ and a ‘poor campaigner.’ Only a quarter of his own Republican voters think ‘honest and trustworthy’ describes him ‘very well.’ The other three-quarters know he’s a dishonest, untrustworthy prick. He’s not running for office. He’s a fucking liability having a public meltdown, and the best his own champion can say is that he dresses like shit and talks funny. What a pathetic, embarrassing, fucking joke.
