Angela Paxton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Majority Leader of the Texas Senate | |
| Assumed office September 16, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tan Parker (acting) |
| In office January 25, 2023 – July 17, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Tan Parker (acting) |
| Member of the Texas Senate from the 8th district | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Van Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Angela Suzanne Allen February 14, 1963 New Braunfels, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ken Paxton |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Baylor University (BS) University of Houston, Clear Lake (MEd) |
Angela Suzanne Paxton (née Allen on February 14, 1963)[1] is an American politician from the state of Texas. A member of the Republican Party, she has represented District 8 in the Texas Senate since 2019.
Her political career has been closely tied to her husband, current Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton.[1]
Paxton was born on February 14, 1963, in New Braunfels, Texas. Her mother was a college student who put Angela up for adoption. She was taken in by a couple who could not have children, a fact which she later credited for her commitment to the anti-abortion movement.[1]
She attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and was the first in her family to attend college. At Baylor, Angela met her future husband Ken Paxton, who was serving as the student body president. They married in 1986.[2] She then earned her master's degree in education from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.[1] After earning her master's degree, Paxton taught math in public schools in Collin County. She then worked as a guidance counselor at Legacy Christian Academy.[1]
When Van Taylor vacated his seat in the Texas Senate to run for Congress, Paxton joined the race for District 8 in September 2017. Paxton ran against businessman Phillip Huffines in the Republican primary. At over $10 million spent between the two campaigns, the race was the most expensive Senate primary in Texas history. Her husband's campaign guaranteed her a $2 million loan. Paxton won the primary by 9 points and narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Mark Phariss in the general election.[1]
In February 2019, Paxton introduced Senate Bill 860, which would allow her husband Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, the power to issue exemptions from securities regulations. Billed as a consumer protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board.[3] Paxton said the bill to change state securities law "has literally nothing to do" with a criminal case charging her husband Ken Paxton with defrauding investors.[4]
Her husband was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives as the Attorney General of Texas on May 27, 2023. When Paxton declined to recuse herself from the trial, she was barred by the Texas Senate from voting on her husband's impeachment.[1][5][6] The impeachment trial began on September 5, 2023, in the 31-member Texas Senate. Ken Paxton was acquitted of all charges on September 16, 2023.
Angela and Ken Paxton helped to found Stonebriar Community Church, a Christian evangelical megachurch, in Frisco, Texas, in the 1990s. The couple later joined megachurch Prestonwood Baptist Church.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Angela Paxton | 32,756 | 54.3 | |
| Republican | Phillip Huffines | 27,545 | 45.7 | |
| Total votes | 60,301 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Angela Paxton | 169,995 | 51.18 | |
| Democratic | Mark Phariss | 162,157 | 48.82 | |
| Total votes | 332,152 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Angela Paxton | 187,754 | 57.69 | |
| Democratic | Jonathan Cocks | 128,399 | 39.45 | |
| Libertarian | Edward Kless | 9,293 | 2.86 | |
| Total votes | 325,446 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
