Divorce finalized days after Paxton’s double-digit Senate defeat

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has finalized his divorce from his wife, Angela Paxton, one of his lawyers said Thursday. The finalization comes nearly a week after Paxton, a Republican, lost his U.S. Senate race by double digits to Democrat James Talarico in one of the most expensive contests of the midterm elections, a cycle that saw a wave of victories for Democrats across the country.

Jared Julian, a lawyer for Ken Paxton, said the terms of the divorce would remain private. “From my observation, however, they share a mutual respect for one another,” Julian said. He added that both appeared to be looking forward “to the next chapters of their lives.” An attorney for Angela Paxton did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Thursday. The finalized divorce was first reported by The New York Times.

Angela Paxton, a state senator, cited allegations of adultery when she sought to end the couple’s 38-year marriage. She filed the divorce after her husband had launched his run for the Senate, posting on social media that she was doing so on “biblical grounds.”

Angela Paxton had stuck by her husband through a decade of legal troubles that included state and federal corruption investigations and a 2023 state impeachment trial that publicly exposed an extramarital affair.

The Senate race that seemed like a longshot for Democrats when the year began became partly a referendum on Paxton’s history. After Paxton entered the race, some Republicans considered him a potential drain on GOP resources because of legal, ethical and personal questions he had faced for years. Despite beating the long-seated incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, in a primary and gaining President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Paxton struggled to find traction in the general election against Talarico.

In October, less than a month before the election, Angela Paxton urged voters to back the Republican ticket but did not mention her estranged husband by name. “It’s not as much about the individual players on the team. It’s about getting the whole team across the finish line,” she said in a campaign advertisement.

Democrat Nathan Johnson was elected attorney general and will take office in January.