Paxton Accused of Violating Federal Campaign Finance Law

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is facing allegations of violating federal campaign finance law after his U.S. Senate campaign allegedly reused video footage originally paid for by his state-level campaign.

The claim comes from an anonymous source, who argues that Attorney General Paxton’s Senate advertisement, Ken Paxton: The Conservative They Couldn't Cancel, repurposes b-roll video footage that was purchased with funds from his Texas Attorney General campaign. If true, this constitutes an illegal transfer of campaign assets under federal law.

According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), federal candidates are prohibited from using assets funded by a nonfederal campaign committee unless the federal campaign pays the full cost. The rule exists to prevent federal campaigns from exploiting state-level committees, which often operate under looser contribution limits.

Texas, for example, imposes no contribution limits on state campaigns.

The ad in question was produced by Axiom Strategies and features multiple instances of previously used footage.

In the advertisement, Attorney General Paxton is seen speaking with police officers (timestamp 1:24) in footage identical to a clip used in a January 2022 ad for his Attorney General campaign (timestamp 0:23 to 0:26). In that 2022 ad, the footage includes a campaign disclaimer at timestamp 0:26.

Similar overlaps occur at timestamps 1:20, 1:22, and 1:26 of the Senate ad, each matching b-roll segments from earlier state-funded advertisements.

One image of Paxton walking alongside President Donald Trump (R) appears at timestamp 1:33 in the Senate ad and was also paid for by the state campaign in February 2022.

“This basic failure to follow finance laws shows a lack of readiness for a blockbuster Senate race and is a major failure by Paxton’s advisors,” said the source, noting that Axiom Strategies recently laid off multiple staff and faced criticism from President Trump for backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in 2024.

If confirmed, these actions could raise significant legal and ethical concerns as Attorney General Paxton runs for the Senate while also facing scrutiny over his past conduct in office.