Texas Republican Senate hopeful Ken Paxton’s estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, has addressed whether she plans to support him in November after filing for divorce on what she called “biblical grounds.”
Speaking to the Texas Federation of Republican Women in a speech titled “the elephant in the room,” Angela Paxton emphasized that the key issue was not the candidate himself but control of the Senate seat.
“It’s not the people, it’s the seat,” she said. “We have more control over that seat and the future when we control the seat, when it’s still in the family, even if we’re mad at them,” she added, drawing laughter from the audience.
The remarks were recorded and shared on Facebook Friday by the DeWitt County Republican Party and Cheryl Thompson-Draper, a member of the state Republican Executive Committee.
Angela Paxton’s comments marked her first public discussion of the Texas Senate contest since she filed for divorce. Democrats are making the race a central target as they work to take control of the chamber. In the latest Fox News poll, Democratic nominee James Talarico led Paxton by three points, 51% to 48%. Fox News currently rates the contest as a toss-up.
The state senator filed for divorce in July 2025. Court documents alleged that Ken Paxton had “committed adultery” and said the marriage had become “insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.”
In a post on social media, she explained, “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,” she wrote. “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.”
Her appearance was the first time Angela Paxton had publicly weighed in on the Senate campaign since the divorce filing. Democrats are aggressively contesting the seat as they pursue a Senate majority. The newest Fox News survey showed James Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton, 51% to 48%, with the network describing the race as a toss-up.
Angela Paxton initiated divorce proceedings against her husband in July 2025. Her filing accused him of “committed adultery” and described the relationship as “insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.”
She later said on social media that the decision came “after 38 years of marriage” and was made “on biblical grounds.”
“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she stated. “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 acknowledged that voters may have personal reservations about a candidate, but she cautioned that choosing an individual also means choosing the political party behind that person.
“The party comes with the person,” she said. “They are not alone, like a standalone thing, like a menu item. You get the whole thing. We have more control when it’s our party, and we have more ability to influence that person when they are attached to our party.”
Fox News Digital contacted Angela Paxton, Ken Paxton and James Talarico seeking comment.
Ken Paxton entered the general election after a contentious Republican primary in which he defeated longtime Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Since then, he has faced difficulty gaining momentum in his contest against Talarico.
Paxton has nevertheless maintained that Texas voters will see Talarico as a “fake” moderate. He has cited controversial remarks attributed to Talarico, including statements that “God is nonbinary” and that there are six sexes. Paxton is backed by President Donald Trump, along with financial support from the president’s MAGA Inc. political action committee and Elon Musk’s America PAC.
During an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Talarico softened his previous comments about God being nonbinary and the existence of six sexes, saying those remarks had “missed the mark.”
Talarico also used the interview to defend his record in the Texas Legislature, saying he was “proud of my legislative track record delivering for Texans.”
“I brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass 60 bipartisan bills that lower people’s costs and get the economy back on track,” he said. “I’ll put my record up against Ken Paxton’s every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
