Ken Paxton
R · U.S. Senate, Texas · Tier 1
Tier 1, “Firmly pro-Israel”
Trump-endorsed, he beat Sen. John Cornyn in the runoff. As Texas attorney general he opened an investigation of Plano ISD in August 2025 over excused absences for student walkouts for Palestine and classroom materials his office called biased, saying any teacher or administrator who “facilitated or supported radical anti-Israel rhetoric in our schools should be fired immediately,” and he has defended the state’s anti-BDS contracting law in court, in 2019 and again on appeal in 2022. He has no federal voting record. AIPAC’s PAC backed his primary opponent, sending direct and earmarked contributions to Cornyn’s campaign from March 2025 to May 2026. Asked in iVoterGuide’s 2026 general-election questionnaire whether the U.S. relationship with Israel is important, Paxton answered: “Yes, a strong U.S.-Israel relationship is crucial to America’s national security, the economic prosperity for both of our nations, and long-term peace in the Middle East.” In an October 2026 statement to Jewish Insider, later relayed by Raw Story, his campaign said “Ken Paxton has always stood with Israel, and he always will,” citing his court defense of the anti-boycott law and his backing of “other states fighting the anti-Israel BDS movement in court.”
A 1, on crackdowns he led as Texas attorney general. In August 2025 he opened an investigation of Plano ISD over excused absences for student walkouts for Palestine and classroom materials his office called biased, demanding the district’s walkout policies, any documentation of “anti-Israel curriculum” and records of discipline against staff, and said “Any teacher or administrator that has facilitated or supported radical anti-Israel rhetoric in our schools should be fired immediately.” He has also defended in court the state’s law barring contracts with companies that boycott Israel — “the state of Texas has the right to boycott boycotters in this instance,” he said in 2019 — and in 2022 appealed a ruling against it. He has no federal voting record, and no concern for Palestinian civilians appears in his record. Counter-case: a 1/2, since defending an existing law is not writing one and the Plano investigation is a single action against one school district.
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elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).