Republican Demands MAGA Star’s Records Over Secret Affair Travel

The Texas Republican primary for U.S. Senate has turned into a political soap opera, with Sen. John Cornyn demanding proof that his Trump-backed rival, Attorney General Ken Paxton, didn’t use taxpayer funds to bankroll trips to see his reported mistress.

Cornyn’s campaign filed a request this week for records documenting Paxton’s travel with Tracy Duhon, a Louisiana-based Christian influencer accused of being at the center of the scandal. “These records are not only subject to public information law, but relevant to public interest,” Cornyn’s filing reads. “If Paxton has used official resources to pay for any of these trips, Texans deserve to know.”

The demand escalates what was already a bitter Republican showdown. Cornyn, who has served in the Senate since 2002, is casting the March 2026 primary as a battle for the soul of Texas conservatism. “This is a test of character, and whether character still matters,” Cornyn told supporters earlier this month.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Paxton, 62, met Duhon at the Kentucky Derby in 2024. Their relationship reportedly ended his 38-year marriage to State Sen. Angela Paxton, who announced her divorce in July. “Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds… I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage,” she wrote on X.

Duhon, 57, is a mother of seven who recently finalized her own divorce from wealthy car dealer Troy Duhon, owner of a sprawling estate on Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans. The Mail reported Paxton has traveled “across the country and even overseas” to see her. Cornyn’s team says those trips may have been covered up using state resources.

Ken Paxton is no stranger to controversy. Since becoming Texas attorney general in 2015, he has weathered a string of scandals that might have ended the careers of other politicians. That year, he was indicted for securities fraud, though he avoided trial by paying a $300,000 settlement.

In 2023, the GOP-controlled state House impeached him over corruption allegations tied to his personal life, though the Texas Senate acquitted him. The FBI has also probed whether he abused his office to benefit friends and secure favors—including a job for a woman he was romantically linked to.

Paxton has also faced public outrage over a $3.3 million whistleblower settlement and his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. Despite all of it, his alliance with former President Donald Trump has kept him popular with many grassroots conservatives.

Cornyn, 73, has launched an aggressive counteroffensive against Paxton’s challenge. His campaign recently unveiled KenStoppers.com, a website it calls a “tip line” for voters to report misconduct by the attorney general.

For Cornyn, survival means framing the election not just as a policy battle, but as a referendum on Paxton’s credibility. “Voters are tired of the endless drama. They want integrity back in public service,” one Cornyn strategist told reporters.

Whether Texans will punish Paxton for his alleged indiscretions—or rally behind him as a Trump-backed fighter—remains an open question. The March GOP primary is shaping up to be one of the nastiest Republican races in years.