Texas Republicans – Ken Paxton’s win in the Republican Senate runoff has reignited fractures inside the Texas GOP, years after House Republicans voted to impeach him. Some lawmakers who backed impeachment now plan to support Paxton, while others are still pressing subpoenas, dema
On Election Day, House Speaker Dustin Burrows posted support for Ken Paxton about 30 minutes before the Associated Press called the Senate runoff for Paxton.
For Burrows, the timing was both a political pivot and a sign of how raw the Paxton feud still is inside the Texas Republican Party—three years after a majority of House Republicans approved impeachment articles against the attorney general.
Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary runoff with support from President Donald Trump. The result has prompted sharply different reactions from Texas Republicans who once voted to impeach Paxton. and it has put lawmakers back on a collision course over what should come next—public support. continued investigations. or a direct warning that the party could pay for the turmoil.
The rift traces back to 2023. when 60 Republicans and 61 Democrats joined in the Texas House to approve articles of impeachment against Paxton. Twenty-three Republicans voted against impeachment. The articles alleged abuse of office, bribery, and misuse of taxpayer funds. Paxton was later acquitted by the Texas Senate, but the impeachment vote left long-lasting divisions.
Burrows changed course after impeachment, at least publicly
Dustin Burrows, now Texas House speaker, was not yet speaker in 2023. At the time, he represented House District 83 in Lubbock and chaired the House Calendars Committee.
On May 27, 2023, Burrows voted to impeach Paxton. He said in a statement posted to social media that the decision was one he did not take lightly. adding that impeachment meant there was enough evidence for members to believe the issues needed to be tried by the Texas Senate. In that same May 2023 post. Burrows said the allegations—he wrote that everyone he knew believed them to be true—suggested a pattern of selling the power of the office for personal gain. including the issuing of subpoenas for someone who employed his mistress. He asked whether that was the conduct and character Texans deserve as representation.
Paxton’s response to the vote was personal. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported at the time that Paxton launched a “revenge tour” to replace Burrows—and other state lawmakers who voted to impeach him. Paxton ultimately failed to replace Burrows.
Since then, lawmakers traded shots over the impeachment. Burrows, however, moved back toward Paxton once the runoff was won. On Election Day. May 26. Burrows congratulated Paxton on his win in a social media post posted about 30 minutes before the Associated Press called the race. In the post. Burrows called Paxton “a steadfast conservative fighter for Texas” and signaled support ahead of the November general election. The statement added: “With so much at stake for our state and our country. Republicans are united and ready for the fight ahead. Looking forward to supporting Ken Paxton as we work to protect the values and freedoms that make Texas exceptional.”.
Leach says the fight isn’t over, and pushed for answers
Rep. Jeff Leach, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, backed impeachment and, unlike Burrows, has continued raising sharp questions about Paxton’s conduct.
Before the runoff, Leach backed Cornyn and threatened to subpoena Paxton over a plea deal unrelated to the Senate race. But Leach also framed his concerns as tied to what kind of attorney general—if he were to win the Senate—Paxton’s replacement might have. Days before the runoff, Leach asked voters to “vote accordingly,” questioning what the party would nominate for the U.S. Senate.
The pressure intensified during the runoff when Cornyn’s camp attacked what it described as a “sweetheart” deal Paxton’s office gave to Waco attorney Adam Hoffman.
Hoffman was facing a life sentence for sexual abuse of a child that lasted three years. The El Paso Times. part of the USA TODAY Network. reported that Paxton’s office intervened and offered a plea deal: 60 days in county jail. no mandatory registration as a sex offender. and no permanent loss of Hoffman’s law license.
Leach called the deal “incomprehensible” and sent Paxton a letter on May 6 demanding answers about how it came about. Leach wrote that the inquiry was not about politics. but about “accountability. transparency. and restoring public confidence in a justice system that victims are asked to trust during the most painful moments of their lives.”.
As KWTX in Waco reported, Hoffman was released early from McLennan County Jail on May 25 after serving 29 days of his 60-day sentence.
Leach did not step back after the release. In a post later that day, he said that if his House Judiciary Committee had to subpoena Ken Paxton himself to explain what happened, it would. He added: “We deserve answers. And this is not going away.”
After Paxton won the runoff. Leach posted on social media that he would support “every Republican from top to bottom this November.” He also said Republicans “must quickly heal and unite from these bruising primaries. ” promising to do his part. The post ended with: “The Texas we know and love is worth it.”.
Phelan warned Paxton could cost Republicans power
Former Speaker Dade Phelan led the House during the Paxton impeachment and. in the runoff. backed Cornyn. Phelan lost his bid to remain speaker after backlash from hard-line conservatives over the impeachment trial, among other reasons. Burrows was elected speaker in his place.
Phelan continues to serve in the House as the representative for District 21 in Beaumont, Texas. During the impeachment trial. he led the chamber through the process. defended the procedure. and survived Paxton’s attempt to replace him in the House and the Texas Republican Party’s censure. Phelan also backed Cornyn during the runoff.
More recently, Phelan spoke to Newsweek about Paxton taking on Talarico. In that warning. Phelan said Paxton was “lazy. ” and said the matchup created “a problem in Texas” because Paxton had “never been at the top of the ticket” and would have to run a major race. He said Paxton had “always been coattails.”.
Phelan also suggested there was a faction of Republicans who would not vote for Paxton “under any circumstances.” He warned that if those conditions persisted, Republicans could lose their edge in the state’s legislature and judiciary.
That is the fault line now resurfacing
Taken together. the changes and contradictions among Burrows. Leach. and Phelan show a party still working through the political damage from the 2023 impeachment—damage that some leaders believe can be contained by support and unity. and others fear will spill back into power struggles.
Republicans once tried to move on from the 2023 vote, but the Senate race forces the issue back to the surface. Paxton’s nomination comes three years after House Republicans impeached him; now lawmakers who previously voted to impeach him are again being asked to decide what Paxton’s candidacy means for the party’s future.
Burrows has signaled willingness to support Paxton after defeating Cornyn in the Republican runoff. Leach has said he will support Republican candidates across the ballot while continuing to push for accountability tied to Paxton’s office. Phelan has warned that Paxton’s political weaknesses and internal resistance could threaten Republicans’ position in Texas.
With the general election approaching. the party’s open question is no longer just what happened during the impeachment and subsequent acquittal. It’s whether Texas Republicans can align around Paxton—or whether the same fractures from three years ago will keep shaping every political step after the primary.
Ken Paxton Texas Republicans John Cornyn U.S. Senate race Dustin Burrows Jeff Leach Dade Phelan impeachment Adam Hoffman Waco plea deal Texas House Texas GOP