¶ Overview
During his time as Attorney General of Texas and as a Senate candidate, Ken Paxton used his position to rule in favor of his campaign donors. On five separate instances, Paxton ruled in favor of organizations that donated thousands of dollars to his campaign. Paxton also avoided participating in lawsuits that would hurt his donors, such as the betting platform Kalshi. Additionally, Paxton threatened legal action against any entity that challenged Texas Tech Football after the Brendan Sorsby Incident, when the Board of Regents' head, Cody Campbell, donated $274,300 to Paxton's campaign.
¶ Paxton Used His Position To Rule In Favor Of His Campaign Donors
¶ Paxton Received Political Donations From The Staff Of Five Organizations He Ruled On As Attorney General
Paxton Received Political Donations From The Staff Of Five Organizations He Ruled On As Attorney General. According to the Washington Post, “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a candidate for U.S. Senate, received campaign contributions from the staff or political arms of five organizations with interests in legal matters on which his office weighed in. The size of the contributions varied, with money from some firms or members of their staff totaling tens of thousands of dollars, according to state and federal campaign finance records[...] The parties that made the contributions include the manufacturers of a slot-machine-like device, an investor in a concrete facility attempting to overcome permitting constraints, and doctors associations hoping to secure greater control over anesthesia services. Attorney general opinions, which are public, are not judicial rulings, but they can carry sway in how the state government interprets and enforces the law.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
These Donations Follow Years Of Bribery Allegations Against Paxton. According to the Washington Post, “Paxton has for years faced allegations of accepting bribes and using the power of his office to help a major donor. He has denied any wrongdoing and has never been convicted. However, Talarico has made Paxton’s past a cornerstone of his campaign.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
¶ Paxton Received More Than $100,000 From Slot Machine Executives At Pace-O-Matic And Republic Amusements
Paxton Received More Than $100,000 From Slot Machine Executives At Pace-O-Matic And Republic Amusements. According to the Washington Post, “This spring, Paxton’s campaign and fundraising committees received more than $100,000 from executives at Pace-O-Matic and Republic Amusements, the manufacturer and operator of a slot-machine-like game. Some of the executives had previously given to Paxton’s Senate race ahead of the primary, but none had ever contributed to his past campaigns for attorney general, according to state campaign finance disclosures.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
At The Same Time, Paxton Sided With A Controversial Ruling That Left Open Whether Pace-O-Matic Machines Counted As Gambling. According to the Washington Post, “At the time, Paxton’s office was reviewing whether certain slot-machine-like games counted as gambling, at the request of a state lawmaker opposed to gambling. Most forms of gambling are illegal in Texas. In a controversial ruling, a state court had said the year before that Pace-O-Matic and Republic Amusements’ game is not gambling and is skill-based. This decision meant the machines could operate in the state. In June, Paxton’s office issued a legal opinion in response to a request from the state senator further clarifying what counted as gambling. The opinion said, based on current Texas law, that any game with any degree of chance in its gameplay should count as gambling — among the strictest definitions of gambling in the country. It left open whether or not Pace-O-Matic’s machines counted as gambling and did not weigh in on last year’s controversial state court ruling — ambiguity that the Texas District and County Attorneys Association said could ‘cause a quandry [sic] for law enforcement and prosecutors.’” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
Pace-O-Matic Praised Paxton’s Ruling And Claimed That Their Financial Support For Paxton Was Not Tied To The Ruling. According to the Washington Post, “Pace-O-Matic praised Paxton’s definition, saying it cracked down on gambling that masquerades as skill-based games. Pace-O-Matic said in a statement to The Washington Post that its contributions were not related to Paxton’s opinion and that they were made by Pace-O-Matic and Republic Amusements employees in their personal capacity. ‘Pace-O-Matic has consistently advocated for clear distinctions between legitimate games of skill and illegal gambling devices, and we welcomed the Attorney General’s opinion because it provided important clarity on that issue,’ the company said. ‘Any suggestion that these individual political contributions were made in exchange for, or were otherwise tied to, the Attorney General’s opinion would be inaccurate.’” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
¶ Paxton Accepted $50,000 From Wallace Hall, Whom He Ruled In Favor Of When Hall’s Company Faced Local Government Resistance To A Planned Rock-Crushing Plant
Paxton Accepted $50,000 From Wallace Hall, Whom He Ruled In Favor Of When Hall’s Company Faced Local Government Resistance To A Planned Rock-Crushing Plant. According to the Washington Post, “In another case, Paxton’s office issued a 2018 opinion on whether the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was bound by municipal rulings; it suggested a concrete- and rock-crushing plant planned by donor Wallace Hall’s company could be built despite opposition from local government. Hall had previously donated more than $50,000 to Paxton dating back to 2014, according to state campaign finance records.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
After Paxton Sided With Hall’s Rock-Crushing Plant, Hall Donated To Paxton’s Campaign. According to the Washington Post, “The city of Fort Worth had rejected the construction of the plant in 2016. But Paxton wrote in his opinion that a court would ‘likely conclude’ that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality could ignore the city’s opposition. Hall used the opinion to lobby for a temporary permit for his concrete plant. Two months after the opinion, Hall donated an additional $10,000 to Paxton’s attorney general campaign. The permit was never granted for a rock-crushing operation.Hall declined to comment.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
¶ In 2019, Paxton Sided With The Texas Medical Association And The Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists On Who Could Administer Anesthesia
In 2019, Paxton Sided With The Texas Medical Association And The Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists On Who Could Administer Anesthesia. According to the Washington Post, “In 2019, Paxton issued an opinion aligned with recommendations from the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists asserting that nurses can’t administer anesthesia unless delegated by a doctor to do so. The opinion cites the state legislature’s definition of nursing, which does not include diagnosing or prescribing treatment, including anesthesia. The opinion was a priority for the medical groups, which have tried to limit non-doctors’ ability to administer anesthesia. Groups supporting nurse anesthetists have argued that a doctor’s sign-off shouldn’t be necessary and that it makes anesthesia more expensive. Anesthesiologists say doctors should oversee a procedure as complex and delicate as administering anesthesia.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
One Month Later, PACs Aligned With The Texas Medical Association And The Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Donated To Paxton’s Campaign. According to the Washington Post, “One month after Paxton wrote his opinion, TSAPAC and TEXPAC, PACs aligned with the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists and the Texas Medical Association, donated to his campaign; the TSA’s then-president, Gerald Callas, gave as well. Together, their contributions totaled $24,000. All of the contributions were reported on the same day, according to state campaign finance records.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
The Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Claimed That They Had Always Supported Paxton. According to the Washington Post, “TSA President Jeremie Perry said in a statement to The Post that the group had backed Paxton for years before and after the opinion. The group made at least $120,000 in donations to Paxton’s campaign from 2014 until 2022, according to state campaign finance filings. ‘TSAPAC, like other professional PACs, supports candidates and officeholders whose positions broadly align with issues important to its members and their patients,’ Perry wrote. Callas did not respond to a request for comment sent to his practice.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
The Texas Medical Association Claimed That Their Donations To Paxton Were Part Of “Numerous” Donations To Candidates Aligned With Their Mission. According to the Washington Post, “Brent Annear, a spokesman for the Texas Medical Association, said in an email that the organization’s PAC gave to Paxton in 2019 as part of contributions to numerous candidates aligned with the TMA’s mission. He said there was no connection between the contribution and Paxton’s opinion. The TMA has given at least $33,500 to Paxton’s campaign since 2014, not including in-kind contributions for dining.” [Washington Post, 10/13/26]
¶ Attorney General Ken Paxton Threatened Legal Action Against The Big 12 Athletic Conference If It Imposed Sanctions On Texas Tech
¶ Attorney General Ken Paxton Threatened Legal Action Against The Big 12 Athletic Conference If It Imposed Sanctions On Texas Tech
Attorney General Ken Paxton Threatened Legal Action Against The Big 12 Athletic Conference If It Imposed Sanctions On Texas Tech. According to On 3, “Texas Tech‘s pending battle with its own conference peers took an interesting turn Thursday when the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a formal letter to Big 12 officials threatening legal action if it sanctions the Red Raiders for their support of quarterback Brendan Sorsby, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Paxton’s letter even suggested the state would seek ‘substantially more than $200 million’ from both the Big 12 and its other members for any lawsuit that results from their potential actions. The letter emerges on the same day the Big 12 executive committee — made up of Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, the chair of its board of directors, Kansas president Doug Girod, and the presidents from Kansas State and BYU — is set to meet to discuss potential options following Monday’s injunction ruling in Lubbock reversing the NCAA’s permanent ban against Sorsby. The full Big 12 Board of Directors is currently scheduled to meet next week to potentially vote on any potential sanctions.” [On 3, 6/11/26]
Paxton Claimed That The Big 12 And Other Entities That Took Action Against Texas Tech Would Be Held Liable And Could Face Well Over $200 Million Dollars In Damages. According to On 3, “‘We are aware that the Big 12 is considering invoking Bylaw 3.6 of the Big 12’s Bylaws to sanction Texas Tech for respecting the Order and continuing its support of Mr. Sorsby as a student-athlete,’ Paxton’s letter reads. “This letter serves to notify the Big 12 that any such action would be unlawful and would expose the Conference to substantial liability.’ ‘Any sanction against Texas Tech for acting consistent with the Order would be a per se violation of federal and state antitrust laws — a naked horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech by cutting off access to the resources it needs to compete,’ the letter continues. ‘… The Conference would face exposure to treble damages, including for Texas Tech’s lost football revenues, damages to its alumni contributions and damages to its recruitment, plus attorneys’ fees. The total exposure — for both the Big 12 and its members, joint and severally — will be substantially more than $200 million.’” [On 3, 6/11/26]
¶ Republican Attorneys General From Oklahoma, Kansas, And Utah Rebuked Paxton’s Legal Threats
Republican Attorneys General From Oklahoma, Kansas, And Utah Rebuked Paxton’s Legal Threats. According to ESPN, “The Oklahoma, Kansas and Utah attorneys general responded within 24 hours, publicly rejecting Paxton's threats and backing the Big 12's right to sanction its members. Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond called on the Big 12 to suspend Sorsby, decrying Texas Tech's actions as a ‘shameful chapter in the story of college football.’ By Friday, the Big 12 was discussing taking this matter to federal court with the league's outside counsel, Sidley Austin. Its league bylaws permit the conference to sanction members who engage in actions "materially averse to the best interests" of the Big 12, including restrictions on revenue distributions and postseason bans. But was Yormark willing to take it that far?” [ESPN, 8/31/26]
The Big 12 Conference Also Took Legal Action Against Ken Paxton. According to ESPN, “Yormark called what a Big 12 AD described as an 'emergency meeting' Sunday night with Big 12 presidents, chancellors and general counsel, excluding Schovanec, and explained the federal lawsuit the conference would bring against Texas Tech and Paxton in the Northern District of Texas. The board supported the maneuver, and the 47-page suit was filed around midnight CT.” [ESPN, 8/31/26]
¶ Paxton Defending Texas Tech Coincided With His Campaign’s Financial Ties To Prominent Texas Tech Football Figures Cody And Tara Campbell
¶ Cody And Tara Campbell
¶ Cody Campbell Donated $274,300 To The Paxton Victory Fund Days Before Paxton Threatened Legal Action Against The Big 12
[Federal Election Commission - Individual Contributions, Accessed 9/3/26]
¶ Cody And Tara Campbell Donated The Maximum Amount To Ken Paxton’s Senate Campaign Days Before Paxton Threatened Legal Action Against The Big 12
Cody And Tara Campbell Donated The Maximum Amount To Ken Paxton’s Senate Campaign Days Before Paxton Threatened Legal Action Against The Big 12. [Federal Election Commission - Individual Contributions, Accessed 6/11/26]
¶ Campbell Claimed He Handled The Sorsby Situation With “Integrity” And Said His Critics Would Face “Retribution” On The Field
Campbell Claimed He Handled The Sorsby Situation With “Integrity” And Said His Critics Would Face “Retribution” On The Field. According to The Athletic, “‘Looking back on it, I know that Texas Tech and I handled everything with integrity, and we did things the right way,’ Cody Campbell, the prominent Tech megabooster and board of regents chair, says in the documentary. ‘I think this is something that could have been handled much more privately. We’re not going to forget about that, and I don’t think they’ll forget about it either when we’re up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. That’s where the retribution will come.’” [The Athletic, 9/3/26]
¶ Cody Campbell Is The Current Chair Of The Texas Tech Board Of Regents
Cody Campbell Is The Current Chair Of The Texas Tech Board Of Regents. According to ESPN, “Campbell, 44, is an oil-made billionaire. At Texas Tech, where he has bankrolled much of the football team's unprecedented launch into national relevance and current spot in the College Football Playoff, he gets as many interview requests as the head coach. The former offensive lineman had a brief NFL career before co-founding one of the largest private oil and gas companies in West Texas, a business he still runs on top of his duties as a father of four, an active Republican fundraiser and the chairman of Texas Tech's board of regents.” ESPN, 6/11/26]
¶ Cody Campbell Is The “Chief” Architect Behind The $60 Million NIL Collective Known As The Matador Club, Which Funnels Money Into Texas Tech’s Football Program
Cody Campbell Is The “Chief” Architect Behind The $60 Million NIL Collective Known As The Matador Club, Which Funnels Money Into Texas Tech’s Football Program. According to ESPN, “Campbell is the chief architect of an NIL collective, The Matador Club, that has paid more than $60 million to athletes at Texas Tech since 2022, much of it to the football team. The club's aggressive approach to the NCAA's new rules has rebuilt a program that historically struggled to make bowl games into a legitimate contender to bring a national championship to the football-crazed outpost in West Texas. Campbell served on the committee that hired coach Joey McGuire in 2021. He donated $25 million to help rebuild the football stadium. He spearheaded the fundraising effort for the parts of the football payroll that didn't come directly out of his pocket. He even watched film to evaluate prospects for one of the nation's best transfer portal classes this offseason. For his efforts, Campbell moves through a Texas Tech game day with the same unfettered reign as Jerry Jones at a Cowboys game. He might as well own the place. Outside the stadium, he chats with a security guard and slides into a VIP section behind the set of ESPN's ‘College GameDay,’ barely breaking stride.” [ESPN, 6/11/26]
¶ 2025: Kalshi CEO Maxed Out To Ken Paxton’s Senate Bid
June 2025: Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour Contributed $7,000 To Ken Paxton’s Senate Bid. [FEC, accessed 6/18/26]
¶ Paxton Twice Failed To Sign Onto A Brief Seeking Authority For States to Regulate Prediction Markets
March 2026: Ken Paxton’s Office Didn’t Respond To Requests From The National Association Of Attorneys General And The Ohio Attorney General’s Office To Join A Legal Brief Arguing That The CFTC Does Not Have Sole Authority To Regulate The Markets. According to the Texas Tribune, “The National Association of Attorneys General and the Ohio attorney general’s office asked Texas in March to join a legal brief arguing that the CFTC does not have sole authority to regulate the markets, emails obtained by The Texas Tribune show. Although 39 states signed on, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office didn’t respond.” [Texas Tribune, 5/1/26]
- April 2026: Ken Paxton Again Did Not Join A Similar Brief, Despite 37 States Doing So. According to the Texas Tribune, “The same thing happened last week when the two organizations again asked Texas to support a similar brief joined by 37 states.” [Texas Tribune, 5/1/26]
¶ Paxton Did Not Sign A Letter Urging The U.S. Attorney General To Crack Down On Offshore Gaming
In August 2025, Paxton Was One Of Only Four State Attorneys General Who Did Not Sign A Letter Urging The Attorney General To Crack Down On Offshore Gaming. According to the Texas Tribune, “In August 2025, Paxton was one of four state attorneys general who did not sign a letter urging then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to crack down on offshore gambling.” [Texas Tribune, 5/1/26]
¶ Paxton Declined To Explain Why He Refused To Sign On The Briefs, And Denied A Public Records Request For Communications Related To Prediction Markets
Paxton’s Office Did Not Respond To Requests For Comment On Whether State Gambling Laws Applied To Prediction Markets And Why Texas Did Not Join The Two Briefs, And Even Rejected A Public Records Request To View Internal Communications Related to Prediction Markets. According to the Texas Tribune, “Paxton’s office did not respond to requests for comment on whether state gambling laws applied to prediction markets and why Texas did not join the two briefs or the letter to Bondi. When the Tribune asked to view internal communications related to prediction markets, the office declined, saying the information was protected by attorney-client privilege. The Ohio attorney general’s office and the national group declined to comment.” [Texas Tribune, 5/1/26]