Paxton denies having a rift with Abbott
AG disputes saying they won’t support each other in 2022
With the FBI investigating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for possible corruption charges, it has been unclear whether Texas Republicans in statewide office will continue to support Paxton as he seeks re-election in 2022 or find a new candidate to back who doesn't have all that baggage.
Paxton, who has maintained his innocence, suggested in an interview with the New York Times this week that he does not have the support of Gov. Greg Abbott, though he promptly denied making the statement in a tweet Tuesday, hours after the Times story posted.
Asked whether he was going to support Abbott in the Republican primary, the Times quoted Paxton saying: “The way this typically works in a primary, is it's kind of everybody running their own race.” He added: “I don't think he supports me; I don't support him.”
On Twitter, Paxton retorted: “Fake news @nytimes strikes again! Let me be clear: I support @gregabbott_tx! He's a great Governor and a Great Texan.”
Paxton campaign spokesman Ian Prior said the article took Paxton's words out of context.
“What the Attorney General said was that typically, when running primary campaigns, candidates run their own races and do not get involved in other races,” Prior said. “This is not a unique concept.”
A spokesperson for Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Abbott has faced criticism from his own party over his coronavirus response — Paxton also told the Times that while he believed Abbott did his best, he would have liked to see the state reopen sooner.
The primary landscape for both Paxton and Abbott is still a blur on the horizon. Potential challengers include Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, both of whom have criti
cized Abbott’s pandemic policies such as the statewide mask mandate, though Miller could also be after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s seat.
Abbott has an approval rating of 43 percent of Texas registered voters and 77 percent of Republicans, according to a University of Texas/texas Tribune poll released Tuesday with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent. His Republican support has slipped by more than 10 percentage points since a year ago, the pollsters found.
Paxton’s approval rating was even lower among Texas voters at 32 percent and 59 percent among Republicans.
So far, at least two Democrats have indicated they will run against Paxton in 2022: Joe Jaworski, former mayor of Galveston, and Lee Merritt, a Dallas civil rights attorney who has represented the families of several Black Texans killed by law enforcement.
Lawyer and Democrat Justin Nelson, who lost his bid against Paxton in 2018 by less than 4 percentage points, has not yet said publicly if he’ll run again.
On the Republican side, earlier this month, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said on a Dallas talk radio show that he was “seriously considering” challenging Paxton in 2022.
After seven of Paxton’s aides reported him to federal authorities , claiming he illegally used the power of his office to help his friend and campaign donor Nate Paul, Abbott all but declined to comment.
“These allegations raise serious concerns,” he said at the time. “I will withhold further comment until the results of any investigation are complete.”
Patrick, who runs the Texas Senate, took a similar tack, saying the allegations were “obviously concerning” but stopped short of saying anything further while the investigation was ongoing.
Patrick and Abbott have clashed this year over how to address debt created by the February winter storm-induced power crisis and sky-high emergency wholesale electric prices, so much so that it yet again fueled speculation that Patrick may be gearing up for a run against the two-term governor. Patrick has repeatedly insisted he does not plan to do so.