Republican · U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton
Record verified Sept. 24, 2026 · Corrections welcome
Ken Paxton is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in the November 3, 2026 general election. As attorney general, Paxton sued CAIR, seeking to stop its operations in Texas. Paxton opened an investigation into a Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal. The office votes on federal law, treaties, military aid, federal judges and cabinet nominees.
Ken Paxton’s sourced public-service history includes State Representative (HD 70) in Texas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013; State Senator (SD 8) in Texas Senate from 2013 to 2015; Attorney General in State of Texas from 2015 to the present.
The sourced record below also covers: As attorney general, Paxton sued CAIR, seeking to stop its operations in Texas; Paxton opened an investigation into a Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal; Paxton’s office used terrorism allegations in announcing its lawsuit against CAIR. Each item remains attributed to its original statement, filing, reported account, official action, or court record; allegations are not presented as findings.
Reported coverage
Coverage
Credible reporting and clearly labeled analysis, opinion, interviews, and guides.
Talarico accuses Paxton of voter fraud
Reporting on Talarico’s accusation and the underlying dispute involving Paxton.
Talarico lays out an economic agenda against Paxton
A review of Talarico’s economic proposals and Paxton’s response in the Senate contest.
Talarico reports a $30 million second quarter
Campaign-finance reporting on Talarico’s fundraising and the scale of the race.
Paxton and Talarico bring political and personal controversies to Senate race
A reported examination of the candidates’ records and controversies entering the general election.
Paxton donations draw scrutiny over China ties
Reporting on campaign donations to Paxton and questions raised about donor connections.
Record sourced · Reviewed September 24, 2026
Record at a glance
Civil liberties
Expanded state enforcement powers
As attorney general, Paxton sued CAIR, seeking to stop its operations in Texas.
On February 5, 2026, Paxton's office announced a lawsuit against CAIR and its Texas chapters. The characterizations of CAIR in the announcement are the office's allegations; a lawsuit is not a court finding.
Attorney General Ken Paxton lawsuit announcement, Feb. 5, 2026 (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · reviewed September 24, 2026
Paxton opened an investigation into a Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal.
On April 6, 2026, Paxton's office announced document demands in an investigation into whether the Islamic Tribunal was illegally representing itself as exercising governmental or judicial authority. The office acknowledged First Amendment protections for religious institutions while arguing they do not permit a religious body to impersonate a state court. An investigation is not a judicial finding. The guide found no evidence in the cited record that Sharia had displaced Texas law or that the tribunal exercised state judicial authority.
Attorney General Ken Paxton takes legal action in investigation of alleged effort to impose Sharia (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · reviewed September 24, 2026
Paxton said, “There will be no ‘sharia city’ in Texas under my watch,” while announcing an investigation of a Kaufman County development.
Paxton’s office described the proposed sustainable development as a potentially illegal “sharia city” and demanded records from the developers. The office’s release presented concerns and allegations, not a judicial finding. Chron reported that the developer called the characterization inaccurate and said the project was inclusive and would follow local law. The guide found no evidence in the cited record that Sharia had displaced Texas law or that a religious tribunal exercised state judicial authority.
Attorney General announces investigation into potentially illegal “Sharia City” development (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · reviewed September 24, 2026
Campaign-finance audit
Filing review and source trail
Partial review · checked September 24, 2026
The reviewed FEC records show a $5,000 RJC PAC contribution and no direct AIPAC PAC contribution or qualifying Israel-policy independent expenditure located.
Source details
- Filing system
- FEC
- Review period
- 2025-04-01 through 2026-06-30
- Filing ID(s)
- S6TX00388 · C00901918 · C00930446
- Review scope
- Partial: the FEC candidate and committee records were reviewed and Israel-policy committee IDs are now confirmed. A full check of itemized receipts and independent expenditures by committee ID, including amendments, is still outstanding.
How we checked
- Identified the FEC candidate ID and authorized committees.
- Confirmed eight Israel-policy committee IDs from FEC committee pages.
- Outstanding: complete itemized-receipt and independent-expenditure queries by committee ID, including amendments and refunds.
PAC & IE receipts
Direct AIPAC, other pro-Israel PAC, IE support and IE opposition remain separate.
View receipts →Major donor context
No public info found
Israel-linked financial actions
No public info found
Muslim community engagement
We found no public record of an in-person engagement or organized policy work with a Muslim organization in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.
Years in public office: 23 years
State Representative (HD 70) · Texas House of Representatives
2003-01-14 – 2013-01-08 · Member profile for Ken Paxton (Texas Legislative Reference Library)
State Senator (SD 8) · Texas Senate
2013-01-08 – 2015-01-13 · Member profile for Ken Paxton (Texas Legislative Reference Library)
Attorney General · State of Texas
2015-01-05 – present · About the office (Office of the Attorney General)
Completed years of elected or appointed government service as of September 24, 2026, with overlapping terms counted once.
What to know
Certified for the November 3, 2026 ballot as the Republican candidate.
As attorney general, Paxton sued CAIR, seeking to stop its operations in Texas.
Attorney General Ken Paxton lawsuit announcement, Feb. 5, 2026 (press release)
Paxton opened an investigation into a Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal.
Evidence
Palestine, Israel & Foreign PolicyOpen
No candidate-specific record was located for this category in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.
How we checked
Muslims, Islam & Civil Rights — Documented Record
February 5, 2026 · action · Official record
As attorney general, Paxton sued CAIR, seeking to stop its operations in Texas.
On February 5, 2026, Paxton's office announced a lawsuit against CAIR and its Texas chapters. The characterizations of CAIR in the announcement are the office's allegations; a lawsuit is not a court finding.
Why it matters for this office: A record of how the candidate has used state legal power toward Muslim organizations.
Receipts · 1
Attorney General Ken Paxton lawsuit announcement, Feb. 5, 2026 (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
April 6, 2026 · action · Official record
Paxton opened an investigation into a Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal.
On April 6, 2026, Paxton's office announced document demands in an investigation into whether the Islamic Tribunal was illegally representing itself as exercising governmental or judicial authority. The office acknowledged First Amendment protections for religious institutions while arguing they do not permit a religious body to impersonate a state court. An investigation is not a judicial finding. The guide found no evidence in the cited record that Sharia had displaced Texas law or that the tribunal exercised state judicial authority.
Why it matters for this office: A record of how the candidate has used state investigative power toward a Muslim religious body. The Texas Supreme Court has held that religious arbitration agreements remain subject to ordinary Texas statutory validity and enforceability review.
Receipts · 2
Attorney General Ken Paxton takes legal action in investigation of alleged effort to impose Sharia (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
Also: In re Mariam Ayad, No. 22-0078 (Supreme Court of Texas) · PRIMARY
February 5, 2026 · statement · Official record
Paxton’s office used terrorism allegations in announcing its lawsuit against CAIR.
In its February 5 announcement, the attorney general’s office called CAIR a terrorist group and alleged that it used force, intimidation and influence operations. These are the office’s allegations in pending litigation, not judicial findings.
Why it matters for this office: The statement documents the candidate’s own rhetoric while exercising state legal power toward Muslim organizations.
Receipts · 1
Attorney General Ken Paxton lawsuit announcement, Feb. 5, 2026 (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
May 21, 2026 · statement · Independent reporting
Paxton’s Senate campaign aired an ad claiming Cornyn supported “Muslim mass immigration” and had “a special place in his heart for radical Islam.”
FactCheck.org reported that the May runoff ad took Cornyn’s statement about helping Afghan military interpreters and their families out of context. It also reported that the campaign did not respond when asked for evidence beyond that quotation. The quoted language is the Paxton campaign’s, and the contextual finding is FactCheck.org’s.
Why it matters for this office: The campaign language documents how the candidate discussed Muslims and immigration while seeking federal legislative power.
Receipts · 1
Ad in Texas GOP runoff attacks Cornyn on immigration, Islam (FactCheck.org) · CAMPAIGN-STATED via REPORTED FACT CHECK · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
February 9, 2026 · action · Official record
Paxton said, “There will be no ‘sharia city’ in Texas under my watch,” while announcing an investigation of a Kaufman County development.
Paxton’s office described the proposed sustainable development as a potentially illegal “sharia city” and demanded records from the developers. The office’s release presented concerns and allegations, not a judicial finding. Chron reported that the developer called the characterization inaccurate and said the project was inclusive and would follow local law. The guide found no evidence in the cited record that Sharia had displaced Texas law or that a religious tribunal exercised state judicial authority.
Why it matters for this office: A record of how the candidate used state investigative power and described a development associated with Muslim identity.
Receipts · 3
Attorney General announces investigation into potentially illegal “Sharia City” development (press release) · OFFICE-STATED / PRIMARY · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
Also: Ken Paxton to investigate Dubai firm's Texas 'sharia city' project (Chron) · REPORTED / DEVELOPER RESPONSE
Also: In re Mariam Ayad, No. 22-0078 (Supreme Court of Texas) · PRIMARY
Political Money & Israel-Policy Organizations
- AIPAC PAC direct contributions
- $02026 cycle · none located in reviewed records · AIP Action receipts (FEC-derived) · checked August 28, 2026
- Other identified pro-Israel PAC contributions
- $5,0002026 cycle · RJC PAC contribution filed 2026-06-05; FEC sub-ID 4080520261563974897 · FEC itemized receipt for Paxton for U.S. Senate · checked September 24, 2026
View transactions
No public info found
September 24, 2026 · filing · Official record
Federal campaign-finance record for Paxton's 2026 Senate campaign.
The FEC candidate record is the canonical source for this campaign's federal filings. Outside trackers below are derived from these filings using their own methods.
Why it matters for this office: U.S. senators vote on military aid and foreign policy; donors are a matter of public record.
Receipts · 1
FEC candidate record S6TX00388 · PRIMARY · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
Democracy & Civil LibertiesOpen
No candidate-specific record was located for this category in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.
How we checked
Family & Household PolicyOpen
No candidate-specific record was located for this category in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.
How we checked
Muslim Community EngagementOpen
No candidate-specific record was located for this category in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.
How we checked
Office-Specific Record & AuthorityOpen
No candidate-specific record was located for this category in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.
How we checked
Ballot listing: 2026 General Election statewide sample ballot, Texas Secretary of State. Page last reviewed September 24, 2026. Return to the U.S. Senate race overview. Methods & authorship. Corrections & updates.