Paxton’s personal life was first scrutinized when his estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, announced she was divorcing him on “biblical grounds”

NEED TO KNOW

• An individual asked Texas Attorney General and Senate candidate Ken Paxton why he allegedly cheated on his wife during a town hall meeting
• The comment came over a year after his public split from state Sen. Angela Paxton, who filed for divorce in 2025, citing “biblical grounds” and accusing him of adultery
• Ken recently won the Texas Republican Senate runoff after securing an endorsement from President Donald Trump

Ken Paxton is facing scrutiny over a year after his public split from his wife.

The Texas attorney general and Senate candidate, 63, seemed to grow flustered after he was asked during a town hall on Monday, Aug, 10, about alleged infidelity in his marriage to state Sen. Angela Paxton. The comment came just over a year after Angela announced she was leaving Ken on “biblical grounds” due to “recent discoveries.”

According to an audio recording of the virtual event, an individual greeted the politician before asking, “I’m just wondering — why did you cheat on your wife?”

After a beat of silence, Ken replied, “Um … I’m not gonna talk about personal issues that relate to my family, just like I don’t think you would wanna discuss your marriage on a call with thousands of people,” per the Daily Beast.

“There’s a lot at stake,” the attorney general added, “And so while I care about this country, I’m not gonna talk about things that would affect them.”

On July 10, 2025, Angela shared an impassioned statement on X detailing her decision to divorce Ken, to whom she was married for nearly four decades.

“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” Angela wrote. “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.”

As both spouses held public offices in Texas, the situation drew intense interest and scrutiny. Austin’s NPR member station KUT and The New York Times later reported that Angela accused him of adultery in her divorce filing.

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On May 26, Ken won the Republican Senate nomination after defeating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. He’ll now run for the seat in the 2026 midterm election in November. Prior to the election, President Donald Trump endorsed Ken for the position.

That day, Angela shared a post on X urging others to cast their votes in the runoff elections. She listed three candidates — for attorney general, railroad commissioner and for place 3 on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, respectively — notably leaving out Ken and his race for the Republican nomination to the Senate.

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