Ken Paxton Corruption & Ethics

Ken Paxton Is So Scandal-Ridden Even Republican Mega-Donors Don't Want to Touch Him

Fresh off winning the GOP Senate nomination, Ken Paxton is cold-calling wealthy donors who are turned off by his scandals — a reminder of just how long his rap sheet is.

MAGA Report Cards · Jul 20, 2026

Ken Paxton just won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas, beating longtime Senator John Cornyn. You'd think that would be his moment of strength. Instead, he's on the phone begging wealthy Republicans for money — and some of them are turning him down because of his scandals.

The morning-after phone calls

The day after Paxton beat Cornyn, his campaign called billionaire businessman Bob Rowling, The Wall Street Journal reported. Rowling had given more than $750,000 to groups backing Cornyn — the kind of big check Paxton now needs for a competitive general election.

But Rowling, once a Paxton supporter, had been turned off by Paxton's alleged extramarital affairs, and initially said no.

That's the story in a nutshell: Paxton is the nominee, and he's scrambling to win back donors who are embarrassed to be associated with him. When your own party's billionaires flinch, it's worth remembering why.

The rap sheet

Paxton isn't a normal candidate with a normal record. He is one of the most scandal-plagued officials in America — and he's been Texas's top law enforcement officer the entire time.

Securities fraud. As a state legislator, Paxton steered fellow lawmakers and investors into a tech company called Servergy without telling them he was being paid in company stock. In 2015 he was indicted on three felony counts of securities fraud — and had his mug shot taken seven months into his term as attorney general.
Bribery allegations from his own staff. In 2020, eight of Paxton's most senior deputies — conservative lawyers he hired himself — reported him to the FBI for bribery and abuse of office, alleging he misused the AG's office to help a friend and donor. That donor had employed a woman with whom Paxton was having an affair. All eight whistleblowers were then fired or forced out.
Running from the law — literally. In 2022, Paxton jumped into a truck driven by his wife to dodge a subpoena. The state's top law enforcement officer physically fled from a court summons.
Mortgage games. Public records show Paxton claimed three different properties as his primary residence on mortgage documents while renting them out — including a $1.2 million Oklahoma cabin run as an Airbnb in violation of its mortgage terms.

And that's before you get to the child sexual abuse plea deal his office brokered that Texas Republicans publicly condemned.

Donors know. Voters should too.

Here's the tell: the people with the most money and the most access — the mega-donors who bankroll Republican campaigns — have looked at Ken Paxton up close and decided he's a liability. Bob Rowling was "turned off." Paxton had to chase him down.

If Paxton's own party's biggest donors don't trust him, why should the families of Texas hand him a seat in the United States Senate? The scramble for donors isn't just an inside-baseball fundraising story. It's a bunch of people who know Paxton best telling you exactly what they think of him.