Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he won’t support Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection in 2022

“I don’t think he supports me; I don’t support him,” Paxton told The New York Times in a story published Tuesday. He later criticized the story as “fake news” and insisted he backed Abbott.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is declining to support Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Republican, as he runs for reelection, the latest — and most revealing — sign that some state GOP leaders are on a collision course ahead of the 2022 election.

“The way this typically works in a primary, is it’s kind of everybody running their own race,” Paxton told The New York Times in a story published Tuesday. “I don’t think he supports me; I don’t support him.”

Abbott is up for a third term in 2022, and for months he has faced heat from some on his right, most notably over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Paxton told the Times that he wished Abbott had reopened the state “a little bit earlier.”

A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll released Tuesday found that 43% of Texas voters said they approve of the job Abbott is doing, compared to 45% who said they disapprove. His approval rating was 77% among Republicans, a number that has slowly ticked down throughout the pandemic. It was 88% in April 2020.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Texas GOP Chairman Allen West have not ruled out challenging Abbott. Miller has also raised speculation that he could run against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. And Land Commissioner George P. Bush is looking at a bid against Paxton.

While Abbott has taken hits from his right recently, Paxton has his own political problems. He has been indicted on state securities fraud charges for most of his time as attorney general, and the FBI is now investigating allegations he used his office to benefit a wealthy donor. Paxton has denied wrongdoing in both cases.

Abbott, a former attorney general, has dealt cautiously with Paxton and his legal woes over the years. Abbott declined to say whether he voted to reelect Paxton in the 2018 primary — Paxton was unopposed — though Abbott went on to voice support for Paxton in the general election.

BY PATRICK SVITEK with Texas Tribune.

Photo: Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott. Credit: The Texas Tribune

–

Like and follow MyParisTexas.com on Facebook, and share this story – Reporting local news in Paris and Lamar County, Texas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he won’t support Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection in 2022

TxDOT proposes four-lane, 82 W. highway, seeks public input on project

Lamar County Democratic Party: ‘chose not to accept Mr. O’Connor’s resignation’

Related Articles