Jewish Voter Guide
Ken Paxton
U.S. Senate · TX · Republican
Summary
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the Republican nominee in Texas's 2026 U.S. Senate election and will face Democratic nominee James Talarico.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has established a pro-Israel public record. He has defended Texas restrictions on state contracts and investments involving companies that boycott Israel, joined a multistate appeal for immediate U.S. assistance to Israel, and publicly supported the 2025 U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Paxton has also condemned Hamas's October 7 attack and supported legal action intended to hold alleged material supporters of Hamas accountable.
Paxton has called for federal and state coordination against antisemitic violence, investigated allegations of antisemitism in a Texas K-12 school district, and defended a synagogue's religious-expression rights in federal court.
The record
Positions come from public votes, statements and on-the-record interviews. Every claim links to its source. No aggregate score or grade.
Support for a Strong U.S.-Israel Alliance
Paxton has defended Texas laws restricting state contracts and investments involving companies that boycott Israel. His office described the restrictions as anti-discrimination measures, and noted that Israel was Texas's fourth-largest trading partner. In November 2023, Paxton joined 25 other state attorneys general in urging Congress and the White House to provide immediate military, intelligence, financial, and humanitarian assistance to Israel. The letter described Israel as a beloved and staunch ally, affirmed its right to exist and defend itself, and called for unwavering U.S. support.
Preventing a Nuclear Iran
In June 2025, Paxton said he was very glad that President Donald Trump had ordered U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, indicating support for the operation against Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
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Condemning and Combating Terrorism
In January 2026, Paxton joined a multistate amicus brief supporting survivors of Hamas terrorism and relatives of victims in litigation under the federal Anti-Terrorism Act. The plaintiffs alleged that American Muslims for Palestine and National Students for Justice in Palestine provided support connected to Hamas.
Paxton argued that Hamas and entities knowingly providing it material support should be dismantled and held legally accountable. The underlying claims remained allegations in pending litigation.
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Response to Hamas's October 7 Attack
In October 2023, Paxton joined a coalition of state attorneys general in condemning Hamas's attack on Israel. The statement described Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organization and characterized the attack as a premeditated massacre of civilians involving murder, kidnapping, torture, and rape.
The coalition expressed solidarity with Israel and supported Israel's efforts to defend itself.
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Fighting Antisemitism
In June 2025, Paxton joined a multistate letter urging the Department of Justice and FBI to continue coordinating with state law-enforcement agencies against antisemitic terrorism and violence. The letter cited the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington and the attack on a pro-Israel gathering in Boulder.
Paxton said he would continue working with federal authorities to counter domestic terrorism and the growth of antisemitism in the United States.
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Protecting Jewish Students on Campus
In August 2025, Paxton launched an investigation into Plano Independent School District, a K-12 public school district, over allegations that students had encountered antisemitic or strongly anti-Israel instructional material and that officials had facilitated pro-Palestinian student walkouts.
He demanded records concerning curriculum, walkout policies, complaints about antisemitism, and staff discipline, and said schools must combat antisemitism and enforce state law and district policy. Because the action involved K-12 schools rather
than colleges, it provides only limited evidence for his position on campus antisemitism. Plano ISD denied that it had promoted or facilitated antisemitism.
Protecting Jewish Institutions and Communities
In September 2022, Paxton joined a multistate amicus brief defending the First Amendment rights of Young Israel of Tampa, a synagogue whose advertisement for a Chanukah community event had been rejected by a publicly funded transit authority under its ban on religious advertising.
The brief argued that excluding the synagogue's advertisement constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and improperly treated ordinary Jewish religious expression as comparable to prohibited violent or obscene content.
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Engagement with the Jewish Community
According to a 2013 Orthodox Union account, Jewish community leaders met Paxton during a 2012 advocacy mission to Austin concerning tax-credit scholarships and the affordability of Jewish day-school education.
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A note on methodology. This guide is published as an educational reference. The American Jewish Congress does not endorse candidates and does not publish aggregate scores. If you spot a position that needs an update or a better source, please reach the office.