Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. is currently representing the Republican Party in the 2026 US Senate race in Texas , where he will be competing against Democratic nominee James Talarico. With President Donald Trump backing Paxton, Republicans seek to retain the Senate seat in Texas. Having served as an attorney general, he has emerged as a prominent person in Texas politics.
Born in December 1962 in Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Paxton’s father worked for the United States Air Force. He later attended Baylor University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1985 and an MBA in 1986. He went on to earn his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1991. His office sent requests for information to more than 20 healthcare providers, insurers and pharmaceutical companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Pfizer . Paxton also took legal actions against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Paxton also launched an investigation to determine whether doctors or vaccine makers received financial benefits for recommending vaccines for children. Paxton also served as Baylor’s student body president. He defended the voter-roll verification system for Texas including the use of the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to verify voter eligibility. His office represented Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a case challenging the Joe Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for Texas National Guard members. A federal appeals court ruled in favor of Texas, saying that the federal government could not punish non-federalized Guard members for refusing the mandate.
Ken Paxton strongly opposes his opponent James Talarico who he calls as “the most radical candidate in Texas history”. He continues to claim that Democrats have made Texas their “top target”. Describing himself as a “fearless conservative”, he made election integrity his major focus.
Immigration and border security have been integral parts of Ken Paxton’s policies. In the past, he has challenged federal immigration policies and advocated for a larger role of Texas when it comes to border enforcement. He also supported the construction of the US-Mexico border wall. Paxton keeps reinforcing his promise of reducing taxes, cutting regulations and keeps encouraging Americans to manufacture more. His campaign promises to create more American jobs and expand domestic energy production. He also promised to restrain government spendings. However, tariffs have not been a major part of his campaign platform.
His office also defended the Senate Bill 4 which aims to protect the citizens of Texas by tracking and punishing federal immigration crimes.
His “Protecting the Texas Promise” plan also proposes tax deductions for healthcare expenses and home purchases, as well as an increased child tax credit. Paxton aligns himself with President Donald Trump’s “America First” legislation that prioritizes American workers and businesses. He said tariffs were not the main issue affecting his campaign and instead pointed to the Iran war , gas prices and diesel costs as greater concerns.
