Angela Paxton— the estranged wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton— is urging Texans to vote Republican in November in a new ad, but she stopped short of naming her ex-husband.
The Texas state senator appeared in the ad released Oct. 3, addressing what she called the “elephant in the room” as Ken Paxton campaigns against Democratic nominee James Talarico for a U.S. Senate seat.
“In a general election, it’s not as much about the individual players on the team; it’s about getting the whole team across the finish line,” Angela Paxton said in the ad. “Either we hold every Republican seat, or we hand the future of Texas to the other team.”
#TXPol: "I'm Texas Senator Angela Paxton. People have asked my thoughts about this election and turns out,
I have some ... I'm voting for the Republican ticket on November 3rd." Texas PAC is up with a new ad featuring Angela Paxton, Ken Paxton's estranged wife. pic.twitter.com/U7yYZ6ZBXp
— AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact_Pol) October 3, 2026
Angela Paxton filed for divorce on “biblical grounds” from Ken Paxton in July 2025 after 38 years of marriage.
The state senator has largely avoided publicly weighing in on her estranged husband’s Senate campaign, though she began breaking her silence in September during an appearance before a group of Republican women.
She urged voters to support Republican candidates “even if we’re mad at them,” in a speech titled "The Elephant in the Room."
"Because 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 said. "But if we lose it to the other team, the nuances that we want to fix with maybe a certain candidate are nothing compared to what it’s going to take to get it back, right?"
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angela Paxton urges Republican vote in new ad, skips naming Ken Paxton
