Texas taxpayers have paid at least $1.9 million to cover the security detail that follows Attorney General Ken Paxton on trips outside the state, according to an Associated Press review of state and campaign records published October 1. The findings land at an awkward moment for the Republican Senate nominee, who is locked in a statistical tie with Democrat James Talarico five weeks before Election Day.
The records, covering Paxton's time in office since 2015, point to more than 275 trips outside Texas and roughly 730 workdays that his official calendars list as empty. The destinations include California wine country, Caribbean resorts, European tourist stops and ski towns in the Rockies. Texas does not require its attorney general to log where he is day to day, so the purpose and length of most trips remain unclear.
What the Records Show
The clearest paper trail comes from reimbursements to Paxton's security detail. Out-of-state travel costs billed to the state climbed from about $30,000 in 2015 to nearly $400,000 in 2024. His calendars tell a similar story. Blank workdays topped 90 in 2021 and reached 112 in 2024, the last full year the AP could examine.
What filled the calendar changed too. In 2022, the year Paxton ran for reelection, 96 days listed nothing but interviews with conservative media outlets. The next year, those interviews (122) outnumbered entries tied to running the office (98). Early in his tenure, by contrast, his schedule was crowded with meetings with lawmakers, speeches and strategy sessions with his staff.
That drift matches what two former deputies told impeachment investigators in 2023. One of them, Mark Penley, said Paxton was often away and that daily management fell largely to his top lieutenants.
Wine Country, Palm Beach and a Masters Weekend
Paxton has made more than 25 trips to California that cost the state over $175,000, despite the state's regular role as a Republican punching bag. He visited Northern California's wine country at least five times. A 2019 stay at a boutique Napa Valley hotel, along with vineyard tours, was paid for with $11,000 from his campaign account and listed as a fundraising expense. Security for that trip added $8,100 to the public tab. A 2024 swing through the same region cost taxpayers more than $14,000.
His 2022 summer itinerary took him through Italy, Albania, Greece and Malta, with a stop at Donald Trump's Bedminster club in New Jersey for a fundraiser. Security reimbursements for that year's travel ran to roughly $230,000. After Trump's 2020 defeat, Paxton became a regular in Palm Beach, golfing with the former president in early 2021 and paying nearly $50,000 for a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser the same year. He has made 11 more trips to the area since.
Even his Senate launch followed the pattern. Instead of a Texas rally, Paxton announced his candidacy on Fox News and booked a hotel in Augusta, Georgia, during the Masters tournament. Records put the cost to taxpayers at no less than $25,000.
Who Pays for the Rest?
The records do not say how Paxton finances most of his own travel costs. Some were covered by his campaign fund. His Senate campaign and the attorney general's office declined to answer questions about it. His salary is about $153,000 a year, and he has said he is not required to disclose assets held in a trust. Senate disclosures filed over the past year have swung widely, since they report values in ranges: one suggested heavy debts and a possibly negative net worth, while an August filing pointed to holdings that could exceed $20 million, largely in real estate.
Paxton's office responded with an unsigned statement saying calendar entries fail to capture hours of calls, negotiations and briefings. It also noted that he leads an agency of more than 4,000 employees, that settlements with drugmakers and tech companies require travel, and that his security detail is justified by threats tied to his work.
A Race Within the Margin of Error
The report arrives as the contest tightens. A Fox News poll released October 1 gave Talarico 51 percent to Paxton's 49 among likely voters, inside its 3-point margin of error. A Texas Southern University survey from mid-September had it 47 to 46. Paxton's campaign pushed back with an internal poll showing him ahead 48 to 45, though internal numbers are released to help a campaign and carry less weight than independent surveys. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up.
Talarico has made the travel a talking point. He criticized Paxton for spending the Fourth of July in Britain and, on September 20, mocked him for misspelling the Texas town of Cypress. On October 2, both campaigns went on the air with new ads answering attacks on their records, with Talarico accusing Paxton of using AI-generated videos to misstate his positions.
Political scientists say the travel story may matter less than it should, since Paxton has survived an impeachment trial, a securities fraud case settled with restitution and an FBI investigation that produced no charges. Joshua Blank of the Texas Politics Project said voters may question how seriously Paxton takes the job, but earlier accusations have done little lasting damage. Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips, a Republican, has gone further, endorsing Democrat Nathan Johnson to succeed Paxton as attorney general because he believes the office has become too partisan.
What Comes Next
With early voting approaching and control of the Senate potentially hinging on Texas, expect Democrats to keep the travel records in front of voters while Paxton leans on his record of suing the Biden administration more than 100 times. Whether voters see a hard-charging conservative fighter or an absentee attorney general may decide one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.
