On August 11, 2026, Ken Paxton's Senate campaign put out a list. Eighteen of the twenty-three Republicans Texas sends to Congress had endorsed him — three-fourths of the delegation.

It is worth slowing down on what that list actually is. It is not a poll. It is not a prediction. It is eighteen sitting members of Congress choosing to attach their own names, in writing, to a man whose record is one of the most documented in Texas politics.

And six of them were on the other side of this race three months ago.

The six who switched

Paxton beat Senator John Cornyn in the May primary. Before that primary, six of the members now endorsing Paxton were endorsing Cornyn: Craig Goldman, Nathaniel Moran, Randy Weber, Roger Williams, John Carter, and Pete Sessions.

Then Paxton won, and they moved.

Here is the thing to hold onto: nothing about Ken Paxton's record changed between May and August. He did not get cleared of anything. No court reversed anything. No investigation closed with him vindicated. The only thing that changed is that he won.

If Paxton's record was a reason to back Cornyn in May, it is the same reason in August. The endorsement is not a judgment about Paxton. It is a judgment about which way the wind is blowing.

What they signed off on

We laid out the full file when Texas Republicans nominated him — the securities fraud indictment, the impeachment, the FBI referral, the election lawsuit. The short version:

• Paxton was indicted on three felony securities fraud counts in 2015, seven months into his first term. The case dragged on for nearly nine years before he cut a deal in 2024 — community service and restitution, charges dropped. No jury ever ruled.
• In 2020, eight of his own senior deputies reported him to the FBI, saying he abused his office to help a friend and donor. All eight were fired or forced out.
• In 2023, the Texas House impeached him 121 to 23. More than two-thirds of his fellow House Republicans voted to remove him.
• In 2025, a judge ruled his office broke the Texas Whistleblower Act and ordered the state to pay the fired aides $6.6 million. Paxton dropped his appeal, so Texas taxpayers are covering it.

That last one matters for a delegation whose whole brand is spending discipline. Texans are paying $6.6 million because of what Paxton did. Eighteen members of Congress just told those taxpayers he deserves a promotion.

Even Republican mega-donors have been backing away from him. The delegation went the other direction.

"We are united"

Paxton's statement leaned on the word united: "We are united because we know what's at stake in this election."

Beth Van Duyne framed the November race as a choice between "common sense and communism," and credited Paxton with fighting "Leftist and Socialist policies." Brandon Gill, who backed Paxton during the primary rather than switching afterward, called him "a proven leader who puts Texas First" and said "the momentum is on our side."

Notice what is missing from both. Neither one addresses the impeachment, the whistleblowers, or the $6.6 million. The case for Paxton is entirely about who he fights. It is never about what he did.

That is the tell. When you cannot defend the record, you talk about the enemy instead.

The five who haven't signed

Five Texas Republicans have not endorsed: Daniel Crenshaw, Keith Self, Jake Ellzey, Morgan Luttrell, and Michael McCaul. Ellzey and McCaul were both Cornyn backers in the primary and have not moved.

Cornyn himself has not endorsed Paxton either, though he said when he conceded in May that he would support the whole Republican ticket. Senator Ted Cruz stayed out of the primary and got behind Paxton once he pulled ahead.

Silence is not courage. But it does show the endorsements were a choice, not an obligation. Eighteen members could have done what those five did. They decided not to.

Why this is about them, not just him

Paxton is one candidate on one ballot. These are fifteen people who represent Texas districts and who will still be in Congress no matter how November goes.

Several of them are carrying their own ethics questions. Lance Gooden is under House Ethics Committee review over spending, referred by the independent Office of Congressional Conduct. Pete Sessions flew to Caracas to meet Nicolás Maduro in a trip that later surfaced in a federal case.

An endorsement is one of the few things a member of Congress does entirely on their own. No committee, no whip count, no procedural cover. Monica De La Cruz, Pat Fallon, August Pfluger, Brian Babin, Michael Cloud, and Ronny Jackson all made the same call, along with the six who switched.

When a member endorses, they are telling you what they think is disqualifying. Eighteen Texas Republicans just answered that question about a man who was impeached by his own party's House majority.

The answer was: nothing.

Source

Here are the Texas Republicans in Congress and where they stand on Paxton by Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 11, 2026.