Paxton’s Trump defense collides with Rove’s scandal warning

Texas Republican Ken Paxton, President Donald Trump’s pick for the 2026 Senate race, tried to dismiss claims that he is “scandal-plagued” during a Sunday morning appearance on Fox News. But former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove warned that the baggage could

Ken Paxton walked into a Sunday morning interview and, almost immediately, ran into the phrase that has come to follow him: “scandal-plagued.”

When Fox News host Maria Bartiromo pressed him on what he planned to do about that perception—pointing to a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece—Paxton didn’t try to change the subject. Instead. he told voters the charge was part of the fight. and that the criticism could be said about Donald Trump. too.

“I get why they said that, but the reality is they could say the same thing about Donald Trump,” Paxton said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Paxton framed it as a defensive posture that comes with taking on opponents who want to attack after accusations surface—arguing that the public doesn’t know whether wrongdoing actually occurred.

“When you’re fighting the fight, unfortunately, you get attacked, and you have to defend yourself,” he said. “And when you do that, and … they’re not successful, still accuse you of things.”

He added: “Accusations don’t mean that the thing actually happened. They have to prove these things in our country. That they didn’t do with President Trump and that they didn’t do with me, and yet they continue to act like something bad happened when they have no proof of it.”

The Wall Street Journal story Bartiromo referenced was titled “The GOP’s Five Paxton Problems. ” and its author. former President George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove. has already laid out why those “problems” worry party leaders: Paxton has been accused of “corruption. bribery. obstruction. securities fraud. multiple mistresses and incompetent handling of sex-trafficking cases.”.

Rove’s criticism isn’t theoretical. Those claims were serious enough to get Paxton impeached by the Republican-run Texas House in 2023. The Senate, however, narrowly acquitted him.

Still, Rove warned that Paxton’s history could spill beyond Texas’s U.S. Senate race and into other parts of the Republican ticket. He cautioned that Paxton’s “baggage” could become a question asked of GOP candidates more broadly come November. saying. “Every Texas Republican running for Congress. statewide office or the Texas Legislature could be asked about his scandals.”.

Paxton’s campaign, for its part, has leaned on momentum and Trump’s clout. With the help of a coveted Trump endorsement delivered just seven days before the primaries, Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) by 64% to 36% last week.

But Rove pointed out that the endorsement may not solve everything—especially with general-election voters who are not already invested in Texas Republican politics. He said Paxton’s poll numbers before the president’s 11th-hour support show how steep the challenge could be against State Senator James Talarico. In Rove’s account. just 81% of primary voters knew who Paxton was. and among that group. only 35% said they would be more likely to vote for him than Cornyn.

So even as Paxton celebrates a decisive primary win and leans into Trump’s example as a shield against scandal claims. the line drawn by Rove remains stark: the party’s argument that the accusations don’t prove guilt may work as rhetoric—but it may also give opponents a recurring question in every part of the ballot.

And that question—scandal, proof, and the cost of both—may follow Paxton from the studio interview to the general election fight he now has to win.

Ken Paxton Donald Trump Karl Rove Maria Bartiromo Wall Street Journal “The GOP’s Five Paxton Problems” 2026 Senate race John Cornyn James Talarico Texas politics impeachment sex-trafficking cases