State Sen. Angela Paxton spoke to a room of Republican women detailing what’s at stake for the party in November — especially in Texas’ U.S. Senate race where her estranged husband is the GOP candidate.
Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, spoke at a meeting of the Texas Federation of Republican Women on Sept. 18, with her speech titled “The Elephant in the Room.” During her speech, she told Republican women to vote for the party’s candidates because the seat matters more than the candidate.
“Because we have more control over that seat and the future when we control the seat — when it’s still in the family, even if we’re mad at them,” she said. “But if we lose it to the other team, the nuances that we want to fix with maybe a certain candidate are nothing compared to what it’s going to take to get it back, right?”
A portion of Angela Paxton’s speech was posted onto social media by DeWitt County Texas GOP and Cheryl Thompson-Draper, a state Republican executive committee member, both saying in the video caption that Angela Paxton “NEVER mentioned his name -not even once but encouraged the women to vote for EVERYONE on ‘OUR R TEAM’!”
AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 16: Angela Paxton walks through the Senate floor during her husband’s, the former Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton, impeachment trial at the Texas State Capitol on September 16, 2023 in Austin, Texas. The trial comes to a close today after a 10-day hearing over allegations that Paxton abused public office with false statements, bribery, and abusing public trust.
The moment comes months after she stayed silent on the race involving her estranged husband, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton.
Angela Paxton has remained silent on her public divorce from the Texas attorney general since she filed for divorce on “biblical grounds” in July 2025, a few months after Ken Paxton announced he was challenging U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for his seat in the March 2026 primaries.
At the time, she did not weigh in on whether she backed Ken Paxton or Cornyn. Ken Paxton defeated Cornyn by 28 percentage points in the May 26 runoff and became the party’s nominee.
He now faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in a contentious, nationally watched race as Republicans try to keep control of the U.S. Senate.
Recent polling showed Talarico having a narrow lead over Ken Paxton, either within or just outside the poll’s margin of error, giving Democrats hope in a state that has not elected a Democrat to a statewide office since 1994.
WATCH: Angela Paxton tells GOP women to vote along party lines “even if we’re mad at them.”
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angela Paxton breaks silence on Texas Senate race — sort of
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