Who Is Angela Paxton? Ken Paxton’s Estranged Wife Wades Into Texas Senate Battle—Without Mentioning Him

Angela Paxton, a Republican Texas state senator, has broken her silence on this year's Senate contest, urging voters to back her party on November 3 without ever naming her estranged husband, Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is the GOP nominee. He trails Democrat James Talarico by a thin margin in most polls. A Talarico victory would give Democrats their first statewide win in Texas in more than three decades, according to Time.

In a paid ad, she says a general election is about getting the whole team across the line rather than any one player, and that she is voting the Republican ticket. Texas PAC, tied to a super PAC supporting a Republican majority in the state Senate, paid for it. In mid-September she told Republican women that the party has weak spots on the ballot but that supporters should stay loyal even when angry, because losing a seat is harder to repair than a flawed candidate. Earlier this year she wouldn't tell the New York Times how she would vote.

She filed for divorce last year, alleging adultery; her spokesperson says the case continues. Joshua Blank of the Texas Politics Project says recruiting her signals real Republican worry.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Time’s reporting. Read the full story at Time →