Texas Judicial Election Donations Tussle

The Texas judicial election has taken a turn after Ken Paxton, the state's Attorney General, decided to back the three opposition incumbent judges in the upcoming election.

Why Paxton is Backing the Opposition

Paxton's actions to support the incumbent judges' opposition are an attempt at payback. In 2021, the three judges, Keller, Hervey, and Slaughter, adjusted that Paxton has no authority to prosecute voter fraud in the state. 

According to the judges, the traditional law that did not require permission was not in tandem with the principle of separation of power. As a result, the ruling noted that if Paxton wants to proceed with such prosecution, he must first attain approval from the local county prosecution. 

Paxton’s Election Campaign

Paxton is pushing the opposition’s campaign on the voter fraud agenda. According to him, he wants to prosecute voter fraud to ensure that Democrats cannot steal elections in their bid to flip Texas. He expressed that without exterminating voter fraud, the state elections will lose their integrity.

It should be noted that Texas is predominantly a Republican state. According to Tomlinson, a campaign manager, Democrats have not won statewide elections in Texas for the past 30 years.

The Donations Tussle

To exert his vengeance, Paxton decided to channel the funds of his billionaire donors to back the opposition of the three judges in the upcoming election.

According to reports, Paxton donors donated a combined amount of $273,000 to fund the committee. However, experts say the donation is not enough for a large-scale campaign that aims to reach 17 million voters.

“Although the donations are not enough to reach the intended amount of voters, the number is still substantial” observed business law attorney Sasha Begum of Begum Pelaez-Prada, PLLC.

For example, an organization called Texans for Law Reform donated $250,000. It is crucial to note that this organization is not on good terms with Paxton. Also, Paxton's former aide, Joe Lonsdale, who filed a lawsuit against Paxton for wrongful termination, donated $100,000. According to reports, Paxton fired Lonsdale after he reported Paxton for criminal offenses.

According to the report, about five other donors have contributed to the campaign of the incumbent. That has pushed the funds of the three incumbent judges to $825,000. Interestingly, the judges could only raise around $80,000 before the donations. 

What Experts Have Said on the Matter

Former Court of Appeal judge Charlie Baird has expressed how groundbreaking the donation is in a judicial election race. According to him, donations from both sides have surpassed the norm in judicial elections. 

He noted that in a typical judicial election, candidates rarely raise more than the $80,000 the three incumbent judges had initially raised. This is because lawyers who donated up until that point did so out of the little they had.

As a campaign manager, Tomlinson backed Baird's words, stating that raising money for judicial elections is difficult. That is because presidential and senate elections usually take precedence. 

He also noted that the election will prove to be interesting because Paxton has become somewhat popular in Texas.

In support of the incumbent judges, the President of the Judicial Fairness, PAC, praised them as "independent-minded jurists." According to him, they hold dear to the constitution and have the experience to ensure that democracy remains resolute and everyone respects it.

Expenses of a Typical Judicial Election

A large portion of the donations for judicial elections goes into advertising. According to reports, Paxton’s camp spent $95,000 of the donations on advertising.