{"id":7869,"date":"2026-07-16T18:15:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7869"},"modified":"2026-07-16T18:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:15:29","slug":"why-everyone-will-bring-ken-paxtons-abortion-record-up-in-his-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7869","title":{"rendered":"Why Everyone Will Bring Ken Paxton\u2019s Abortion Record Up in His Senate Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n\r\n<br><div id=\"article-content\">\n            \n\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/2026\/07\/ken-paxton-abortion-views-texas-senate-race?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=19th-republishing&amp;utm_content=\/2026\/07\/ken-paxton-abortion-views-texas-senate-race\" target=\"_blank\">This story<\/a> was originally reported by Shefali Luthra of <a href=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=19th-republishing&amp;utm_content=\/2026\/07\/ken-paxton-abortion-views-texas-senate-race\" target=\"_blank\">The 19th<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/author\/shefali-luthra?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=19th-republishing&amp;utm_content=\/2026\/07\/ken-paxton-abortion-views-texas-senate-race\" target=\"_blank\">Meet Shefali and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is so staunchly anti-abortion that his office observes June 24, the anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, as a holiday.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Republican\u2019s actions to block abortion stand out. Four years ag0, Paxton sued the Biden administration to make Texas the only state blocking a federal law that protected abortions for people in medical emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, in 2023, Paxton asked a court to dismiss a case from women seeking clarity about when Texas\u2019 strict ban granted an exception in dangerous \u2014 in some cases life-threatening \u2014\u00a0situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Months later, when a state court granted an abortion ban exception to Dallas resident Kate Cox \u2014\u00a0whose pregnancy had virtually no chance of survival \u2014 Paxton threatened legal action against a hospital if it permitted physicians to terminate her pregnancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite a court and doctors agreeing that Cox could have an abortion, she had to travel out of state to end her pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Paxton, a former state legislator whose tenure as attorney general has been mired in scandal \u2014\u00a0including an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/series\/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-attorney-general\/\" target=\"_blank\">impeachment trial<\/a> for alleged misuse of public funds (he was ultimately acquitted) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/texas\/news\/paxton-divorce-trial-canceled-collin-county-settlement-talks\/\" target=\"_blank\">divorce proceedings<\/a> after his wife alleged adultery \u2014 is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Democrats are pinning their hopes on James Talarico, a state senator who has broken fundraising records and who polling shows is within striking distance of delivering Democrats a statewide win in Texas for the first time in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paxton\u2019s record indicates that, if elected, he could be one of the nation\u2019s most anti-abortion senators \u2014 and groups that both oppose and support reproductive rights intend to call attention to that. Political organizations across the spectrum are planning to emphasize the contrast between Paxton and Talarico and the implications of electing either to the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<!-- \/wp:post-content -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Paxton\u2019s campaign website lists a commitment to \u201cdefend the unborn,\u201d and he recently indicated openness to restrictions on in vitro fertilization, a regimen that has drawn the ire of some abortion opponents. Talarico, a seminarian and former middle school teacher, has in the past highlighted his support for reproductive rights and has in the state legislature consistently voted against abortion restrictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>But since Paxton\u2019s primary victory in May, neither he nor his opponent has spoken much about abortion. And nationally, Democrats have largely retreated from the issue, with most midterm election campaigns emphasizing cost-of-living concerns. Paxton did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement to The 19th, the Talarico campaign spotlighted Paxton\u2019s record on abortion.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cKen Paxton has consistently pushed to criminalize women\u2019s health care and put politicians in the middle of decisions that should be left to Texas women, their doctors, and their faith,\u201d said JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico\u2019s campaign. \u201cPaxton defended and enforced the most extreme abortion ban in the entire country, with no exceptions for rape or incest \u2014 a ban that has led to Texas women dying and bleeding out in hospital parking lots, forced Texas women to put their IVF treatment on hold, and jeopardized their ability to have children in the future by denying basic care that protects the health of women. James stands with a majority of Texans by defending Texas women\u2019s right to control their own bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/prri.org\/research\/mapping-abortion-views-across-the-50-states-insights-from-prris-2025-american-values-atlas\/\" target=\"_blank\">Data from PRRI, a research organization specializing in religion and public opinion, <\/a>suggests that most Texans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases; only 9 percent support banning it in all cases.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Even so, \u201cKen Paxton makes it impossible not to make this an issue,\u201d said Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All, a national organization. \u201cI do see an opening. We have to consider what we can do to raise the alarm on Ken Paxton.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Her organization, which is spending heavily on races in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, California and Georgia \u2014 but not Texas \u2014 endorsed Talarico on Tuesday, alongside Democrats running for Senate in Iowa, Alaska and South Carolina, per an announcement shared first with The 19th.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Texas Right to Life, one of the state\u2019s leading anti-abortion groups, is planning to campaign for Paxton, an approach that will include mailers, text alerts and in-person engagement, said John Seago, who heads the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ken_paxton_abortion.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Ken Paxton speaks at a podium outside the Supreme Court surrounded by anti-abortion advocates.\" title=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ken Paxton speaks outside the Supreme Court on November 1, 2021 in Washington, D.C. after the Supreme Court heard arguments in a challenge to the controversial Texas abortion law that bans abortions after 6 weeks. (Kent Nishimura\/Los Angeles Times\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cWe plan on making it an issue,\u201d Seago said of abortion. \u201cWe want to make sure voters know who\u2019s on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Paxton has not indicated how, specifically, he might approach abortion policy from Capitol Hill. As attorney general, he has filed suit against healthcare providers in <a href=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/2025\/02\/new-york-doctor-mailing-abortion-pills-shield-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\">New York<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/Petition%20(2).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Delaware<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/Petition_16.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">California and the Netherlands<\/a> for allegedly mailing abortion medications to people in Texas. A year ago, he signed onto a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/Letter-to-Congress-Shield-Laws.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">letter led by the Arkansas attorney general<\/a> urging Congress to pass legislation that would bar blue states\u2019 \u201cshield laws,\u201d which protect healthcare providers if they mail abortion medication from their home states to a patient in another state.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>And as a state legislator, he consistently backed abortion restrictions, signing onto and authoring anti-abortion bills beginning in <a href=\"https:\/\/lrl.texas.gov\/legis\/billsearch\/text.cfm?legSession=78-0&amp;billtypeDetail=HB&amp;billNumberDetail=15&amp;billSuffixDetail=\" target=\"_blank\">2003<\/a>, when he first joined the Texas House of Representatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Talarico\u2019s campaign has largely focused on other issues \u2014 the cost of living in Texas, Paxton\u2019s recent impeachment as attorney general, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/05\/19\/ken-paxton-waco-plea-deal-child-sex-abuse-texas-attorney-general\/\" target=\"_blank\">plea deal Paxton\u2019s office<\/a> agreed to with a man charged with sexual abuse of a minor. Still, Talarico has consistently criticized Texas\u2019 abortion ban,\u00a0including in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iiL4mhP5q8A\" target=\"_blank\">May podcast <\/a>interview where he highlighted its lack of exceptions for people pregnant because of rape or incest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Some women who have confronted Texas\u2019 ban firsthand said they are ready to help Talarico make abortion a campaign issue.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Talarico \u201chas been supportive of me and my work, and I will look forward to returning that support for him if and when he needs me to be,\u201d said Amanda Zurawski, one of the women who sued in 2023 seeking clarity over the state\u2019s abortion ban and a top surrogate in Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 failed 2024 presidential bid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Lauren Miller, another plaintiff in the 2023 case, said she has also spoken to the Talarico campaign about highlighting her experiences seeking an abortion in Texas. Miller, who lives in the Dallas area, traveled to Colorado in 2022 for an abortion when doctors discovered one fetus in her twin pregnancy had a devastating anomaly and advised an abortion to ensure the survival of the healthy twin. She also spent 2024 campaigning for Harris and for former Rep. Colin Allred, who unsuccessfully ran against Sen. Ted Cruz, another Texas Republican.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cTo me he promotes himself as a champion of the unborn, and yet when it was my son \u2014 my healthy twin \u2014 he has literally never acknowledged his existence,\u201d Miller said of Paxton.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Emphasizing abortion \u2014 particularly through the lens of women like Zurawski and Miller \u2014 could encourage turnout among younger women, who are more likely to support Talarico, said Celinda Lake, a longtime Democratic pollster. She called Talarico, who has spoken about supporting abortion in the context of his Christian faith, a \u201cunique voice\u201d on the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/06\/30\/polls\/times-siena-texas-poll-crosstabs.html\" target=\"_blank\">recent New York Times\/Siena pol<\/a>l found that 56 percent of women voters said they intended to vote for Talarico, compared with only 36 percent of men. About 2 percent of women voters called abortion their top issue \u2014 well below the share of women voters driven by the economy, which was the top motivator for about 1 in 5 women voters, but just as many as those who cited healthcare or corruption, and well more than women voters primarily concerned by issues such as crime, gun violence or climate change. (Only 0.5 percent of men said abortion was their primary concern.)<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIt can be a real turnout issue,\u201d Lake said. \u201cA lot of Texas women feel like Texas has gone too far, and they can\u2019t do anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Republicans are unlikely to come out of the November elections with the 60 Senate votes needed to enact sweeping abortion restrictions such as a national ban. But lawyers who have worked on cases in opposition to Paxton said he could make a mark: for instance, seeking commitments from federal nominees for executive offices and Cabinet positions to enact anti-abortion policies, or favoring judges appointed by the president \u2014\u00a0who must be confirmed by the Senate \u2014 who might oppose abortion rights.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cHe is more than just a yes-no vote on abortion,\u201d said Marc Hearron, an attorney formerly with the Center for Reproductive Rights who has litigated on the opposite side of Paxton on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cKen Paxton has always been a foot soldier for the right wing. That\u2019s sort of how he rose to power,\u201d said Blake Rocap, a longtime abortion rights attorney and lobbyist in Texas. \u201cHe would be a willing foot soldier to push all the anti-abortion strategy that they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Seago, whose organization has worked alongside Paxton since he first joined the Texas legislature, suggested that as a senator, Paxton could push abortion restrictions similar to those he backed in the statehouse: laws that require ultrasounds before someone can get an abortion, that require minors have a parent\u2019s consent before ending a pregnancy, and a national ban at 15 or 20 weeks.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cWe would love to see him have a role in that national debate,\u201d Seago said.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pixel.19thnews.org\/2026\/07\/ken-paxton-abortion-views-texas-senate-race\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->          <\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n        appId: \"101800829865996\",\n        xfbml: true,\n        version: ' v2.6'\n      });\n      window.fbAsyncInit.__didInit = true;\n    };\n    (function(d, s, id) {\n      var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n      if (d.getElementById(id)) {\n        return;\n      }\n      js = d.createElement(s);\n      js.id = id;\n      js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n      fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n  <\/script>\r\n<br><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story was originally reported by Shefali Luthra of The 19th. Meet Shefali and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is so staunchly anti-abortion that his office observes June 24, the anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, as a holiday.\u00a0 The Republican\u2019s actions to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2276843695.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}