By Jim Vertuno | Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, the wife of Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, filed for divorce on Thursday, seeking to end 38 years of marriage as her husband campaigns for the U.S. Senate.
Angela Paxton had stuck by her husband through a decade of legal troubles that included state and federal corruption investigations and a 2023 state impeachment trial that publicly exposed his extramarital affair.
A state securities fraud indictment against Ken Paxton was recently dismissed after a 2024 plea deal to pay restitution and complete community service, and the federal justice department dropped a corruption probe earlier this year. His 2023 impeachment trial ended with his full acquittal.
A fierce and vocal ally of President Donald Trump, Ken Paxton was first elected state attorney general in 2014 and is now campaigning to unseat long-time Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary.
Angela Paxton, who stood by her husband during the impeachment trial, cited “recent discoveries” in her announcement on social media that she had filed for divorce.
“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” Angela Paxton posted on X. “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.
“I move forward with complete confidence that God is always working everything together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose,” she wrote.
Ken Paxton later posted his own statement asking for prayers and 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,” Ken Paxton posted on X. “I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren.”
Angela and Ken Paxton had been central figures in each other’s rise in Texas politics. A former high school teacher and guidance counselor, Angela Paxton used to play guitar and sing, “I’m a pistol-packin’ mama, and my husband sues Obama,” at his campaign events and Republican clubs across the state.
When it came time for Angela Paxton to launch her own political career, a $2 million loan from her husband propelled her to a narrow victory for a state Senate seat in the booming Dallas suburbs. Once elected, she filed bills to expand his office’s powers, and approved budgets over his state agency and salary.
As a state senator, Angela Paxton attended all two weeks of the impeachment trial proceedings and testimony, including one dramatic moment when a woman was called to publicly testify about an affair she had with Ken Paxton. The woman ultimately never took the witness stand, but her relationship with Ken Paxton was central to a case that accused him of going to potentially criminal lengths to help a local real estate developer who was under FBI investigation at the time.
Angela Paxton was not allowed to vote on the verdict that ultimately acquitted her husband of all charges.