The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has taken down several press releases and statements criticizing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and is instead backing him in the upcoming November midterm election.
President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Paxton in the Lone Star State’s GOP runoff election helped put him on a path to not only win Tuesday, but claim a decisive victory over 23-year Senator John Cornyn. However, Paxton’s checkered past has raised concerns among Republicans about his viability as a candidate in the general election. With control of the Senate on the line and polling showing that Democrat James Talarico is neck and neck with Paxton, Republicans, including Cornyn, have thrown their support behind the once-controversial candidate.
“A state President Trump won by nearly 14 points isn’t going to elect James Talarico — a radical leftist who thinks God is nonbinary and that Texas should be a welcome mat for illegals. He is the most dangerous flank of the far left. Texas isn’t swapping brisket for open borders,” NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell said in a statement Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night, at least four statements about Paxton were deleted from the NRSC website. It’s unclear when they were taken down but some of them were available as of May 20 at least, according to a Newsweek review. Now, the links pull up a “404 error” with a picture of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
A July 24, 2025, statement called out Paxton’s “lies and incompetence” over potentially committing mortgage fraud when he declared three of his Texas homes as primary residences. “A lot of people who trust Ken Paxton get lied to, so it isn’t shocking to learn he is also cheating on his taxes and personal finances,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said in the statement. “Ken Paxton’s betrayals of the public trust just keep coming.”
Another statement from July 2025 criticized Paxton over his alleged adultery in his marriage, including his alleged affair with a staffer. The statement was put out in support of Paxton’s wife, Angela, after she filed for divorce.
“What Ken Paxton has put his family through is truly repulsive and disgusting. 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,” Rodriguez said.
A video and statement from October 30, 2025, said Paxton was “standing in Conservatives’ way.” Rodriguez said at the time that Texas needed a “strong, conservative Senator” and not an “incompetent” Paxton who “drags his feet” on issues Republicans care about fixing. The NRSC took issue with Paxton by presenting the following:
- Paxton waited more than two years to file a lawsuit against an independent school district that was teaching critical race theory.
- As President Trump brought American manufacturing back to Texas, Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the company investing $5.9 billion in Houston.
- Paxton “urged patience on the issue of” school vouchers, “saying he didn’t know whether he would support them.”
- Paxton supported a school voucher ban.
- Under Paxton, American citizens are 26 percent more likely to be convicted of homicide than illegal immigrants, per the Cato Institute.
- Despite championing school choice, Paxton went after 13 Texas private schools for fraud
A statement from April 2025 was also deleted from the website. It criticized Paxton after a report came out that he used taxpayer dollars to buy hotel rooms for campaign donors.
“Texans keep learning about shady things Ken Paxton’s been hiding from them. Using Texas tax dollars to put Albanian businessmen up in hotel rooms is just the latest example,” Rodriguez said.
Newsweek reached out to the NRSC for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
The NRSC endorsed Cornyn in April 2025, calling him a “leader” who delivered on Trump’s agenda and “for the people of Texas.” The statement added that Cornyn was a “fighter, man of faith, and essential part of the Republican Senate Majority.”
Paxton, a Republican who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, has long been a polarizing figure within his own party. His political career has been marked both by strong support from conservative voters and a series of legal and ethical controversies, including a securities fraud case that was resolved in 2025 and his impeachment trial in 2023.
While Paxton trailed Cornyn in the first primary race in March, he overwhelmingly claimed victory on Tuesday. The shift came after Trump endorsed him, saying that Cornyn wasn’t loyal to his MAGA agenda and Frank Luntz, a pollster, said the victory showed the power Trump has over the Republican Party.
“He can beat just about any Republican in just about any state in just about any primary. He is chief strategist, chief advocate, and chief voice of the GOP. His name may not be on the ballot in November, but make no mistake: Nothing and no one will have a bigger impact on voter behavior,” Luntz posted on X.
Republicans have 24 seats in the Senate to defend this year, which is going to make for a costly election cycle, and the Texas race could mean a division of their resources. Paxton isn’t the powerhouse fundraiser that Cornyn was, so he’s likely going to need support from the NRSC to help fund his campaign and defeat Talarico, although Democrats still have an uphill battle to flip the seat, which hasn’t seen a Democrat hold it for more than 30 years.
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