Once upon a time there was a guy named Ken Paxton who, as the attorney general of Texas, waged war on LGBTQ+ people, inflicting harm every chance he could in the name of Christianity. Then he cheated on his wife and was reverse-raptured, never to be heard from again. The end.
Alas, some stories have happy endings. This isn’t one of them.
For those of you outside of Texas and/or practicing self-care, Ken Paxton, a Republican, has been a fixture of Texas politics for a long time. He’s served in both the Texas House and Senate, and has been their Attorney General since 2015. He’s currently running to be Texas’s next U.S. senator.
Earlier in July, Paxton’s wife of 39 years, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce on “Biblical grounds.”
Long story short, he cheated. For years. But that’s not a new revelation. Paxton admitted to an affair with a woman named Laura Olson as far back as 2018. He claimed it was done, but it seems like Olson never actually left the picture.
Why did it take his wife until 2025 to file for divorce? I don’t know. Maybe more sleazy things will come out about Paxton in the meantime.
Paxton responded to the divorce on social media writing, “After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives. 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. I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”
A new chapter. Cute.
Notice how he begins blaming “countless political attacks and public scrutiny.” Now that’s what I call accountability.
It is true that Paxton has been subject to extra public scrutiny these past few years, having been embroiled in a corruption scandal and all. In 2023 he was even impeached by the Texas House, which has a Republican majority. He was acquitted by the Senate.
Paxton has a very long anti-LGBTQ+ rap sheet. Here are some highlights:
Just this month, Paxton sued an adult swimming organization that allowed trans women to compete in a Texas competition.
In March 2025, Paxton prohibited transgender Texans from changing the sex listed on their driver’s licenses and birth certificates, going as far as to demand that any changes that had already been made were “unlawful” and had to be changed back.
In June 2024, Paxton sued the Biden Administration over Medicaid being used to cover gender-affirming care.
In February 2024, Paxton demanded that PFLAG turn over “documents, communications and other information related to its work” with families seeking gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Texas, according to The Advocate.
In 2022, Paxton issued an opinion that providing gender-affirming care was child abuse and supported Gov. Greg Abbot in his crusade to investigate the parents of trans kids.
In 2015, Paxton called the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling, which made marriage equality the law of the land, a “lawless ruling” and told Texas clerks they didn’t have to abide by the law.
In 2003, Paxton “was one of several lawmakers who signed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to decide in favor of Texas’s sodomy ban in Lawrence v. Texas,” reports LGBTQ Nation, citing that sodomy laws were needed to protect “public health” and “discourage sexual activity outside of marriage.”
If only Lawrence v. Texas had gone the other way, Paxton and his wife may have lived happily ever after.
And in case you were wondering, Paxton is taking his anti-LGBTQ+ obsession nation with his Senate campaign. In fact, his platform is a right-wing greatest hits album. On his campaign website, Paxton promises to “stand with President Trump to protect our gun rights, defend the unborn, and defeat the radical transgender movement that’s desperate to put men in girls’ sports and woke indoctrination in our classrooms.”
It’s possible, though, that this whole divorce thing could tank his campaign.
On July 10, Joanna Rodriguez, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) communications director posted on X, “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.”
Seems bad for a Republican candidate for Senate to piss off the NRSC. And keep in mind, they have very low standards! They have helped a lot of creeps get into office over the years. This seems especially bad for Paxton since he’s running against incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton has apparently challenged Cornyn for not being conservative enough. Cornyn, mind you, is not exactly a champion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Will the conservative Christians bolstering Paxton’s campaign turn on him? Maybe.
Then again, we had a three-time presidential candidate who said, “My hobby is sexual assault!” and evangelicals screamed, “Praise be! He’s been sent to us by Jesus!” So who the hell knows?
