Ken Paxton Biography: Age, Wife, Texas Attorney General Career, Senate Run, Net Worth, Salary, Children & Facts

Ken Paxton is the longest-serving and most polarizing Attorney General in modern Texas history, a conservative firebrand who turned the state’s top law-enforcement office into a national platform for fighting federal power and advancing hard-right legal causes. From his 2020 Supreme Court challenge to the presidential election results to his historic 2023 impeachment and dramatic acquittal, Paxton has spent over a decade at the center of America’s culture wars. At 63 years old in 2026, he is now running for the U.S. Senate while navigating a very public divorce, a federal indictment that was recently resolved, and a May runoff election that could send him from Austin to Washington.

Quick Facts

Early Life & Education

Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. was born on December 23, 1962, at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, where his father was stationed as an Air Force veteran. The family moved frequently during his childhood due to military service before eventually settling in Texas.

Paxton attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he majored in psychology and was elected student body president. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1985 and stayed for a fifth year to complete his Master of Business Administration in 1986. He then enrolled at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, founded by Thomas Jefferson, and received his Juris Doctor in 1991.

After law school, Paxton returned to Texas and began his legal career at the Dallas firm Strasburger & Price, LLP, followed by a stint as in-house counsel for J.C. Penney Company, Inc. In 2002, he opened his own private law practice in McKinney, Texas, where he would build his political base in fast-growing Collin County.

Career Journey

Texas House of Representatives (2003–2013)

Paxton launched his political career in 2002, winning a Republican primary runoff for Texas House District 70 in Collin County. He defeated Democrat Fred Lusk in the general election and took office in January 2003. He won reelection four times, often by wide margins, and developed a reputation as a staunch conservative focused on school finance, transportation, and religious liberty.

In 2010, following the Tea Party wave, Paxton briefly challenged moderate Republican Joe Straus for Speaker of the Texas House, positioning himself as a champion of “bold action in defense of our conservative values.” Sensing he lacked the votes, he withdrew before the formal ballot, but the move raised his statewide profile among grassroots activists.

Texas State Senate (2013–2015)

In 2012, Paxton won election to the Texas Senate, representing District 8, the same Collin County seat his wife would later hold. He served a single term, focusing on voter ID legislation, abortion restrictions, and Second Amendment rights. He did not seek reelection to the Senate in 2014, choosing instead to run statewide.

Attorney General of Texas (2015–Present)

Paxton was elected 51st Attorney General of Texas on November 4, 2014, and sworn in on January 5, 2015. He was reelected in 2018 and again in 2022, making him one of the longest-serving AGs in state history.

As the state’s top law-enforcement officer, Paxton oversees more than 4,000 employees, including roughly 750 attorneys across 38 divisions and 117 offices. His office handles over 30,000 cases annually, ranging from child-support enforcement to consumer fraud to defending state laws in federal court.

His tenure has been defined by aggressive litigation against the federal government. He filed 22 lawsuits against the Obama administration in his first two years, with five reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. Under President Biden, he filed or joined more than 100 legal actions against administration policies on immigration, environmental regulation, labor rules, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Major achievements include:

• Creating the Human Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime section, which helped shut down Backpage.com, the largest online sex-trafficking marketplace in the U.S.
• Collecting a record $4.8 billion in child support in a single fiscal year (2020), the highest amount ever collected by any state.
• Securing a $50 million settlement from Volkswagen over emissions cheating, plus up to $191 million in environmental mitigation funds.
• Winning injunctions against EPA “Regional Haze” rules and Department of Labor overtime regulations, which his office argued would raise energy costs and kill jobs.

2026 U.S. Senate Campaign

On April 8, 2025, Paxton announced on Fox News that he would challenge incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 U.S. Senate primary. The race quickly became one of the most consequential GOP primaries in the country.

In the March 3, 2026 primary, Cornyn led with roughly 42% to Paxton’s 40.5%, forcing a runoff since neither cleared 50%. On May 19, 2026, President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton, calling him “a true MAGA Warrior” and criticizing Cornyn for not being “supportive of me when times were tough.”

The runoff is scheduled for May 26, 2026. Paxton has argued that his grassroots MAGA support will drive turnout among low-propensity Republican voters, while Cornyn’s campaign has highlighted Paxton’s “legal and personal baggage” as a general-election liability.

Career Stats & Milestones

• Texas House: 5 terms (2003–2013), District 70
• Texas Senate: 1 term (2013–2015), District 8
• Attorney General: 3 terms (2015–present), 51st AG of Texas
• Lawsuits vs. Federal Government: 100+ actions against Biden administration; 22 against Obama administration
• Supreme Court Cases: 6+ heard during his tenure as AG
• Major Settlements: Volkswagen ($50M + mitigation), Apple, MoneyGram
• 2026 Election: U.S. Senate Republican primary runoff vs. John Cornyn (May 26, 2026)

Personal Life

Marriage and Divorce

Ken Paxton met Angela Suzanne Allen while both were students at Baylor University, where he was student body president. They married in 1986 and spent nearly four decades together as one of Texas’s most prominent political couples.

Angela Paxton built her own career as a secondary math teacher, school counselor, and eventually a Republican State Senator, winning the same District 8 seat her husband once held. She was first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2024.

In July 2025, Angela Paxton filed for divorce on “biblical grounds,” alleging adultery and stating that the couple had stopped living together around June 1, 2024. She wrote on social media that she had “earnestly pursued reconciliation” but could no longer remain in the marriage. Ken Paxton responded that “countless political attacks and public scrutiny” led the couple to “start a new chapter.” The divorce filing became a major campaign issue in the Senate race, with Cornyn allies using it to question Paxton’s character.

Children and Family

The Paxtons have four adult children: Tucker, Abby, Mattie, and Katie. Mattie Hayworth, their daughter, publicly defended her father during his 2026 Senate campaign, writing that while “my dad is not perfect; none of us are,” he is “a man of deep faith, genuine love for his family, and an unrelenting commitment to doing right by the people of Texas.” Ken Paxton has stated he has five grandchildren, though some reports mention six.

Faith and Community

The Paxtons have been members of Watermark Community Church, a nondenominational evangelical megachurch in Dallas, and previously attended Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano. Ken Paxton’s faith has been central to his political identity; he has consistently framed his legal battles as defenses of religious liberty and constitutional principles.

Controversies

Paxton’s career has been shadowed by legal and ethical controversies since shortly after he took office as Attorney General.

State Securities Fraud Indictment (2015): In 2015, a Collin County grand jury indicted Paxton on two counts of securities fraud and one count of failing to register with the state securities board, related to his private legal practice and solicitation of investors for a tech company without disclosing he was being paid to recruit them. The case dragged on for nearly a decade before prosecutors agreed to a deal in 2024 that saw the charges dropped in exchange for community service, restitution, and legal fees.

2023 Impeachment: On May 27, 2023, the Republican-controlled Texas House voted to impeach Paxton on 20 articles, including abuse of office, bribery, and obstruction related to his relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul. The investigation alleged Paxton used his office to benefit Paul in exchange for home renovations and employment for a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an extramarital affair. He was suspended from office pending trial.

On September 16, 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on all 16 articles brought to trial, and he resumed office. The vote was largely along party lines, though several Republicans joined Democrats in voting to convict on some articles.

2020 Election Lawsuit: Paxton filed Texas v. Pennsylvania in the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to invalidate election results in four swing states. The Court dismissed the suit. He also spoke at the January 6, 2021 rally in Washington, D.C., preceding the Capitol attack.

Divorce Allegations: The 2025 divorce filing by Angela Paxton, alleging adultery on “biblical grounds,” added a personal dimension to his political controversies and became fodder for attack ads in the Senate primary.

Awards & Achievements

• Re-election Victories: Three consecutive statewide wins as Texas Attorney General (2014, 2018, 2022)
• Child Support Record: Led the nation’s most successful child-support collection program, topping $4.8 billion in a single fiscal year
• Federal Litigation: Won injunctions or favorable rulings in more than 75% of cases brought against the federal government
• Human Trafficking: Created the HTTOC unit that helped shut down Backpage.com
• Legislative Service: 10 years in Texas House, 2 years in Texas Senate
• Conservative Recognition: Regularly rated among the most conservative attorneys general in the U.S. by national watchdog groups

Physical Statistics

Note: Ken Paxton has not publicly released his height, weight, or other physical measurements.

Quotes

“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.”
— Angela Paxton, July 2025 divorce filing

“After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives.”
— Ken Paxton, responding to divorce filing, July 2025

“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.”
— President Donald Trump, endorsement statement, May 19, 2026

Favorites

• Alma Mater: Baylor University; University of Virginia School of Law
• Hometown: McKinney, Texas
• Political Mentors: Tea Party movement, Donald Trump
• Church: Watermark Community Church (Dallas); previously Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano)
• Legal Focus: Constitutional law, religious liberty, immigration enforcement, state sovereignty
• Political Style: Grassroots conservatism, anti-federal overreach, MAGA-aligned

Earnings

Ken Paxton’s exact net worth is not publicly disclosed, and he has not released detailed personal financial statements beyond required ethics filings. His state salary as Attorney General is $153,750 per year.

Before entering politics, Paxton earned a comfortable living as a private attorney and in-house counsel for J.C. Penney. However, he is not considered wealthy by statewide officeholder standards, and his prolonged legal battles over the securities fraud indictment reportedly cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Unlike some Texas politicians with extensive business holdings, Paxton’s income has been derived primarily from his government salary and private law practice.

Interesting Facts

• Paxton was born on an Air Force base in North Dakota while his father served in the military.
• He was elected student body president at Baylor University, where he met his future wife Angela.
• He opened his own McKinney law firm in 2002, the same year he won his first legislative race.
• Paxton is the first Texas Attorney General to be impeached since 1975 and only the third in state history.
• The Texas Senate that acquitted him in 2023 included his wife, Angela Paxton, who was required to be present but did not have a vote in the proceedings, leading to headlines calling her the “juror without a vote.”
• He filed or joined more than 100 lawsuits against the Biden administration, making him one of the most litigious state AGs in modern history.
• His daughter Mattie Hayworth wrote a public defense of him during the 2026 Senate primary, pushing back against what she called “ugly” attacks on her father’s character.

Did You Know Already?

• Paxton’s securities fraud indictment lasted nearly a decade (2015–2024) before a deal was reached to drop the charges.
• He was suspended from the Attorney General’s office for nearly four months in 2023 during his impeachment proceedings.
• The 2026 Republican Senate primary runoff between Paxton and Cornyn is scheduled for May 26, 2026—just days after Trump’s endorsement.
• Angela Paxton was the first educator elected to the Texas Senate in over two decades when she won in 2018.
• Ken Paxton’s office collected a record $4.8 billion in child support in fiscal year 2020, the highest single-year total for any U.S. state ever.

Social Media Links

• X (Twitter): @KenPaxtonTX
• Facebook: Ken Paxton
• Campaign Website: https://www.kenpaxton.com (2026 Senate campaign)
• Texas Attorney General: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov
• Instagram: Limited official presence

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Ken Paxton?
Ken Paxton was born on December 23, 1962, making him 63 years old as of 2026.

Who is Ken Paxton’s wife?
He married Angela Paxton in 1986, but she filed for divorce in July 2025 on “biblical grounds,” alleging adultery. The divorce is ongoing as of 2026.

How many children does Ken Paxton have?
He has four adult children: Tucker, Abby, Mattie, and Katie, and several grandchildren.

What is Ken Paxton’s salary?
As Texas Attorney General, he earns $153,750 per year.

Why was Ken Paxton impeached?
The Texas House impeached him in May 2023 on 20 articles including abuse of office and bribery related to his relationship with developer Nate Paul. The Texas Senate acquitted him in September 2023, and he returned to office.

Is Ken Paxton running for U.S. Senate?
Yes. He is in a Republican primary runoff against incumbent Senator John Cornyn, scheduled for May 26, 2026. President Trump endorsed Paxton on May 19, 2026.

Conclusion

Ken Paxton’s journey from a McKinney lawyer to the longest-serving Attorney General in modern Texas history is a story of conservative conviction, relentless legal warfare, and survival against extraordinary political and personal odds. At 63, even as he fights for a U.S. Senate seat while finalizing a divorce and recovering from a decade-long criminal indictment, Paxton remains a defining figure of the Texas Republican Party’s hard-right turn. Whether he wins or loses in 2026, his impact on Texas law, federalism, and the national conservative legal movement is already cemented.

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