Attorney General Ken Paxton arrives for his impeachment trial at the Capitol on Tuesday September 5, 2023. Sealed divorces and adultery allegations cast shadows over some Texas election campaigns going into 2026.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, greets former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Robstown, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022. Sealed divorces and adultery allegations cast shadows over some Texas election campaigns going into 2026.

Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson asks questions of TCEQ Chair Jon Nierman during the Sunset Advisory commission meeting at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 in Austin. Sealed divorces and adultery allegations cast shadows over some Texas election campaigns going into 2026.

Republican Mayra Flores addresses supporters as she declares victory over her opponents for Congress in Texas District 34 as supporters cheer her on at her watch party in San Benito on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Sealed divorces and adultery allegations cast shadows over some Texas election campaigns going into 2026.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, center, accompanied by then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., right, speaks at a news conference on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, July 29, 2021. Sealed divorces and adultery allegations cast shadows over some Texas election campaigns going into 2026.

Attorney General Ken Paxton wants to keep the details of his divorce and alleged adultery secret from voters, but other Texas politicians are making marital problems top talking points in the 2026 elections.

Some say voters can’t trust candidates to uphold their public oaths if they can’t keep their marriage vows. Others say what happens within a marriage is private. While President Donald Trump’s history of infidelity didn’t hurt him, MAGA is making adultery germane again.

Because the details matter: was the affair with an intern, lobbyist or sex worker? Does the affair create a conflict of interest or an opportunity for extortion?

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Paxton is running in the Republican primary to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Many pundits believed Paxton’s Christian Trumpism would give him an easy victory over Cornyn, whose record belies common sense.

Paxton survived impeachment on corruption charges, but the evidence revealed an extramarital affair. When his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce on “biblical grounds,” his

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