Ken Paxton speaks during a conservative convention last year. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore

U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Paxton has found himself the subject of headlines no candidate would welcome three weeks before Election Day.

On Tuesday, one national publication reported that Paxton — Texas’ Republican attorney general — had been caught on video at a party in Dubai with wanted fugitives. The same day, another national outlet published a story accusing Paxton of handing down legal opinions that favored wealthy donors.

Those two stories come as a new nonpartisan poll released Tuesday shows Paxton’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, leading by four percentage points.

Let’s run down the latest headlines.

First, the Wall Street Journal obtained footage appearing to show Paxton partying with two wanted fugitives in Dubai. The clip, captured on New Year’s Eve 2024, allegedly shows Paxton standing next to his reported mistress, Tracy Duhon, while conversing with wanted fugitives Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail.

Months before the party, the Justice Department accused both Ahmed and Suhail of embezzling $15 million from a hospital, according to the Journal. Ahmed was separately charged with defrauding the government for $195 million.

Both men remain wanted by U.S. Marshals on those charges, the Journal reports.

Although Paxton’s campaign hasn’t commented on why he was rubbing elbows with the pair, the Journal reported that Ahmed donated a total of $190,000 to Paxton’s Senate campaign, $25,000 of that amount coming days after Ahmed was indicted.

Texas Democratic Party Spokesperson Ryan Martin called the footage classic Paxton.

“New year, same old corrupt Ken Paxton,” Martin said in a statement.

Meanwhile, an investigation published Tuesday by the Washington Post accused Paxton of repeatedly writing legal opinions during his time as Texas AG to favor wealthy donors. Those donors include manufacturers of a slot-machine-like device and an investor in a concrete facility attempting to overcome permitting constraints.

Again, Paxton’s campaign offered no response.

In a statement, Martin of the Texas Democratic Party said those allegations aren’t surprising, given that Paxton narrowly avoided removal from office after members of his own party sought to oust him over allegations of bribery and abuse of office. Paxton was also indicted on state securities fraud charges, which were later resolved through a legal agreement.

“Corrupt Ken Paxton has turned the keys of the Attorney General’s Office over to whichever of his wealthy donors bids the highest,” Martin said. “The struggles of everyday Texans are the last thing on Corrupt Ken Paxton’s mind — all he cares about is enriching himself.”

Early voting runs Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Texas politics is a mess. We make it a readable mess.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...