The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a sharply worded statement Thursday condemning Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, just hours after his wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, announced their divorce.
The timing of the announcement is significant, as Ken Paxton is locked in a contentious Republican primary race against longtime U.S. Senator John Cornyn. The NRSC, which has endorsed Cornyn, didn’t hold back in its response.
“What Ken Paxton has put his family through is truly repulsive and disgusting,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said in a post on X. “No one should have to endure what Angela Paxton has, and we pray for her as she chooses to stand up for herself and her family during this difficult time.”
The comment came after Angela Paxton filed for divorce, ending their 38-year marriage. In her own statement on X, she wrote, “Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds. I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But 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.”
Angela Paxton had long stood by her husband through a series of legal controversies, including multiple state and federal corruption probes and a 2023 impeachment trial that revealed his extramarital affair.
Despite this public split, Ken Paxton also issued a statement asking for privacy: “After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives,” he wrote. “I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren.”
A May poll showed Paxton leading Cornyn by 9 points, though that was before the divorce and Thursday’s fiery rebuke from the party establishment.
