Ken Paxton Hits the Road Amid Controversy Over Press Access and Opposition Messaging

Texas Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. began a statewide “Come and Take It” bus tour on a Saturday morning in Rockwall, a small city about 20 minutes east of Dallas. The tour kickoff was presented as a direct appeal to voters in the final stretch of his tightly contested U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.

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Paxton’s candidacy is shadowed by a series of high-profile controversies. He previously resolved a criminal indictment by agreeing to take a remedial legal-education course, faced impeachment proceedings from members of his own party, endured a public divorce, and was captured in a cell-phone video spending New Year’s Eve in Dubai with two fugitives and a woman who is not his wife. These issues have contributed to his reputation as a “law-fare” politician, a factor that shapes the current campaign environment.

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A reporter attending the Rockwall rally was asked to identify themselves and present a press badge. The campaign’s security staff warned that any “outburst” would result in removal and police involvement. After the reporter reiterated their professional status and requested a credential, a second staff member promised to obtain one. Minutes later, the first security guard summoned a police officer, who escorted the reporter out of the venue.

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The reporter later contacted the Paxton campaign for clarification. The spokesperson added that the reporter could not attend the event even as a ticket-holding member of the public.

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While the reporter was being removed, a middle-aged protester stood near the entrance holding a custom sign that read “Ken Paxton — protects pedophiles.” The wording referenced a 2024 case in which Paxton’s office negotiated a plea that allowed a man accused of child sexual abuse to serve only one day in jail and avoid registration as a sex offender. The campaign explained that the deal was made because the victim declined to testify and accused Talarico of “re-traumatizing” the victim. The protester clapped each time a car passed, signaling visible dissent among some Republican voters.

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Further down the hill, Brian Rodgers, a commercial-real-estate professional from Austin who recently founded the Texans for Conservative Values PAC, disclosed that he had contributed $80,000 of his own money to a truck-based digital-billboard campaign broadcasting anti-Paxton quotes from high-profile Texas Republicans.

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> “He will just do what the billionaires and the big money are asking him to do, which in Texas is data centers,” — Brian Rodgers

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No comment was offered regarding the protest signs or the digital-billboard campaign.

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• “He will just do what the billionaires and the big money are asking him to do, which in Texas is data centers,” — Brian Rodgers

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The press-access dispute highlights ongoing tensions between Republican campaign operations and media coverage, especially in a race where Paxton seeks to become the first statewide officeholder from his party to lose in Texas in 32 years. Opposition messaging—both on-site signs and the $80,000 billboard effort—illustrates intra-party fractures and the potential impact of grassroots criticism on voter perceptions as the election approaches.

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