Ashley Cleaves, Legal Content Editor

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) doesn’t just want to silence the voices of his own constituents. He’s out to silence your voice, too — wherever you live. That’s what makes the prospect of him joining the U.S. Senate so daunting.

If you’ve been subscribed to Democracy Docket since the beginning, you know that Paxton — who on Tuesday became the GOP nominee in Texas’ Senate race — has been a familiar villain in the legal battle over voting rights and elections.

In 2020, it wasn’t enough for Paxton to just focus on Texas — he went to bat for Trump’s election denial scheme, leading 17 other GOP attorneys general in suing Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It was an attempt to nullify the votes of millions of Americans who were not his constituents, especially voters of color.

Weeks before the 2024 election, Paxton carried out raids on several pro-voting organizations, accusing them of election fraud and vote harvesting in the 2022 election. At the time, voting rights advocates recognized this as a tactic by Paxton to create a climate of intimidation around elections.

Then there’s redistricting: Last summer, Paxton sought to have Democrats arrested after they left the state to block Republicans from dismantling minority districts on Trump’s orders. And he has spent the last decade defending the state’s congressional maps that discriminated against his own constituents — seeking to shrink Black and brown representation.

Now, he’s pledging his support for the SAVE America Act, which threatens to disenfranchise millions, hitting communities of color especially hard.

But Paxton doesn’t care about that. He only cares about himself and the opinions of Donald Trump.

That’s what I see when I look at his record on voting and democracy. He does not want your vote to count and will do anything to ensure that happens.

That’s on top of the allegations of bribery and embezzlement — for which he was impeached by GOP lawmakers — as well as the infidelity. Those things, of course, are why Donald Trump believes he’ll fit into a political climate shot through with corruption, greed and narcissism.

Democracy Docket will always call out these bad actors who pose a threat to our democracy, especially those who use the power of the courts and legal system to achieve their nefarious goals. We’ve seen Paxton do this time and again as attorney general so there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t take it even further as a sitting member of the United States Senate.

We’ve been watching his moves through the courts for six years now. We’re ready to keep our eyes on him throughout his campaign and if he’s elected in November. That’s the commitment of our newsroom, and we are grateful that you share in our mission.

But we can’t do it without your support. Democracy Docket is backed by readers who believe in the need for an independent, pro-democracy newsroom that isn’t afraid to hold those in power accountable. If you value our coverage, consider becoming a member and supporting us today.