Ken Paxton's own lawyer ditches him for Dem opponent: report

Texas Attorney General and GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton was delivered a personal blow Monday after his former attorney issued him a scathing rebuke, as well as an endorsement of his Democratic opponent in the race.

“[Paxton] has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas,” said Dan Cogdell, a defense lawyer who represented Paxton during his impeachment trial in 2023, speaking with NOTUS for its report published on Monday.

“And unlike Ken, I believe to my core that James Talarico believes in unity over division and that he knows how to assemble not only Democrats, but Independents and Republicans, and we need that right now.”

Endorsed by President Donald Trump, Paxton has been a controversial figure in Texas politics. He threatened to arrest Texas Democratic lawmakers last year for opposing Republican efforts to redraw the state’s congressional district map, was accused of bribery and fraud in 2023, and was also alleged to have stolen a $1,000 luxury fountain pen from a courthouse in 2013. His wife filed for divorce last year after accusing him of infidelity.

As such, Cogdell, who legally defended Paxton when facing 16 articles of impeachment, contributed $1,000 to Talarico’s campaign in March, a complete reversal from the $6,500 in contributions he gave to Paxton’s campaign last year, NOTUS reported, citing campaign finance records.