Ken Paxton was all smiles on the campaign trail last week.
The photos he posted shine of the event of Colin county, denton county, grayson county and tarant Texas' Republican attorney general campaigned and promoted more than a dozen candidates on this week's ballot. Primary election.
Most are newcomers to the Republican Party. That's because Paxton, a popular state official with legal problems, isn't trying to shore up the party's incumbents. Mr. Paxton is out for revenge.
“It's time for a brand new position in Collin County,” he wrote in one post, along with a photo of himself and five Republican candidates seeking to oust the incumbent. Two of them are running in the same election, and his tweets suggest voters will choose one over the other, but they all share one key characteristic in their primaries. It's that they didn't vote to impeach the attorney general last year.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas state legislature last May on corruption charges with 60 votes from his own party, but the Texas Senate acquitted him in September and returned him to office.
Currently, the attorney general has endorsed candidates in more than 70 races, most of which have gone to Republicans. Those who voted against his impeachment, or those challenging Republican incumbents who voted for his impeachment. His Social His media accounts consist of his two pages, single spaced. Recommendation list The primary vote on March 5 was up and down.
And his efforts have powerful allies. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed more than a dozen candidates backed by Paxton, making good on his promise to punish those who vote against his longtime ally.
Texas' already chaotic primary season is turning into yet another battleground in the Republican civil war.
“What you see now is a reflection of what is happening now.” [in] National politics. You've probably seen Donald Trump jump into state legislative races, I don't know how many times. Why is he involved so far down the ballot? Because it's legacy preservation,” said Texas Republican strategist Matt Langston. “This ensures that if you are on the wrong side, you will have to pay the price.”
President Trump continued to express support for Paxton's candidates on social media. He defended the three judges and more than a dozen state legislative candidates who sided with Paxton in the Court of Criminal Appeals, who were furious that Paxton was blocked from prosecuting election fraud.
Perhaps Paxton's biggest target heading into Tuesday is state House Speaker Dade Phelan, who oversaw the state attorney general's impeachment efforts. Mr. Paxton and Mr. Trump are supporting Mr. Phelan's likely Republican primary challenger, David Covey.
“David Covey is running against Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who led the fraudulent impeachment of recently re-elected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a landslide,” Trump's Truth Social said. is written in the post. . “Republicans who support Mr. Phelan are idiots and should be separated from the Republican Party. That's how bad Mr. Phelan is, especially when it comes to election integrity!”
Mr. Covey's ads in the final stages of the primary campaign touted his support for Mr. Trump. In addition to appearing on the campaign trail, Paxton also appeared in some of Covey's campaign spots.
“Dade has lost his way, and he owes more to the Democrats who elected him Speaker than to the people who elected him and fought for him,” Paxton said in Covey's ad. said.
Mr. Phelan directly contradicted Mr. Paxton and Mr. Trump's attacks in his recent ad.
“President Trump's involvement in our campaign is because of a vengeful Paxton. If Paxton is going to break his vows to his wife and God, why would he tell Trump, or you, the truth? '' Phelan said, referring to details of Paxton's affair that became public during the trial.
Paxton isn't the only major figure wielding political influence in Texas this season. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has his own list of endorsements, which often differ from Paxton's. He is targeting many local Republicans who voted against the school choice bill while giving political cover to the state House impeachment managers.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has also been active in the effort, including defending Phelan.
“I'll be honest with you: If you had told me 10 years ago that I was going to judge a contested Republican primary in Beaumont, Texas, I would have said, 'Really?'” Perry said. joked at an event.
“This internal conflict and things like that, I honestly don't really understand why it's happening,” he continued. “I don't know why I need to be in Beaumont, Texas, and tell you that if I get rid of Dade Phelan, I'm going to absolutely lose my mind. I mean, I'm going to give you guys a mental competency test.”
The endorsement Paxton is issuing could also benefit him if he seeks higher office in the future. In between his endorsements, he also attack frequently Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who is not up for re-election this year, supported Paxton's impeachment in a social media post.
Here are some of the candidates Paxton supported in the March 5 primary.
- Republican state Rep. Travis Clardy voted against impeaching Paxton and has since sought to reform the impeachment process in the Texas House of Representatives.
- Mitch Little, one of Paxton's impeachment lawyers, is running for state House of Representatives.
- State Rep. Gary Gates is a Republican who voted to impeach Paxton but has since expressed regret over that vote.
- Katrina Pearson, a former Trump campaign press secretary who is running for state representative.
- Joshua Feuerstein, a conservative internet personality known for opposing same-sex marriage and abortion rights, challenges Republican state Rep. Keith Bell, who voted to impeach the state attorney general. Paxton said he personally scouted him for the purpose. Mr. Feuerstein spoke at a rally at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and ended his remarks with these fiery lines: Stop stealing! ”
