Hecklers in San Antonio, Texas, interrupted Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s campaign event Saturday with jeers about his alleged infidelity and accusations that he was too lenient with a child sex abuser.
Paxton, the controversial Texas attorney general locked in a competitive Senate race with progressive Democrat James Talarico, faced public criticism after taking the stage at The Angry Elephant for his latest rally.
“You cheated on your wife!” One heckler yelled at Paxton after he criticized Talarico’s Christian beliefs.
It referenced years-long accusations that Paxton had an extramarital affair while married to his wife, Angela Paxton. Last year, Angela Paxton filed for divorce from Paxton, citing “biblical grounds.”
Two other hecklers were also removed from the event after shouting, “Paxton protects pedophiles,” according to TownHall editor Joe Chalfant.
The hecklers were seemingly referring to a plea deal Paxton’s office cut with a lawyer based in Waco who was accused of sexually abusing a boy for years. Critics have accused Paxton of being too easy on the lawyer, who served less than a month in jail.
Paxton supporters at the bar countered the hecklers' jeers with chants of “USA.”
The Independent has asked Paxton’s campaign for comment.
The San Antonio Current was the first to report on the heckling.
Paxton was President Donald Trump’s choice to take on Talarico in the upcoming midterm elections. While Paxton has a lengthy political career and history of being staunchly conservative, he also has several controversies that are being used against him.
In 2023, the Texas legislature impeached Paxton on allegations of bribery and abuse of public trust. Former staffers accused Paxton of using his position of power to benefit himself and a Texas real estate investor.
Among other allegations that emerged from the impeachment trial, Paxton was accused of having an extramarital affair.
Although Paxton was later acquitted by Texas lawmakers, the details of the impeachment have continued to haunt his campaign.
The affair allegations, in particular, were re-ignited last year when Angela Paxton filed for divorce, appearing to accuse her soon-to-be ex-husband of cheating. Paxton himself has not publicly commented on those allegations directly.
The divorce proceedings have also cast light on Paxton’s wealth – specifically his expansive $9 million real estate portfolio that includes a luxury cabin in Oklahoma, three homes in Florida, a plot of land in Hawaii and three condominiums in Utah.
Some have raised questions about how Paxton acquired such wealth and real estate.
When asked about his multi-million-dollar real estate portfolio after the rally Saturday, Paxton declined to answer, according to San Antonio Current reporter Michael Karlis.
Other controversies, such as the child sex abuse plea deal, have become a talking point for Paxton’s opponents, such as Talarico, to criticize.
A campaign spokesperson for Paxton previously defended the attorney general’s decision in the case, telling the New York Times that the child victim did not want to testify and a first trial ended in a hung jury. The spokesperson accused Talarico of using the victim as a “political pawn.”
Most polls show Talarico and Paxton tied – some have Talarico with a narrow lead.
