The estranged wife of Donald Trump-endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has urged Republicans to vote in the state's primary runoff election but notably left her husband off her list of recommended candidates.
Angela Paxton, a Republican state senator, posted on election day urging turnout and endorsing Mayes Middleton for attorney general, Jim Wright for railroad commissioner, and Thomas Smith for the Court of Criminal Appeals. She did not mention Ken Paxton, who she is divorcing on 'biblical grounds', nor his opponent Senator John Cornyn.
Ken Paxton and Cornyn face a runoff after neither secured a majority in the March primary. Trump endorsed Paxton last week, accusing Cornyn of disloyalty. Cornyn has warned that Paxton as candidate could cost Republicans the seat, given the attorney general's impeachment over alleged corruption and extramarital affairs.
Angela Paxton recused herself from the 2023 state Senate impeachment trial, where Ken Paxton was acquitted after Trump's intervention. The runoff winner will face Democratic state Representative James Talarico in November.
