Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to address students at Texas State University next week, bringing his brand of conservative politics to a campus that has seen increasing political activism in recent years.
The three-term attorney general will speak at an event hosted by the university’s chapter of Turning Point USA on Wednesday, November 12, at the LBJ Student Center in San Marcos. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:00 p.m. While open to the public, students will receive preferred seating, according to a release from Paxton’s office.
In announcing his appearance, Paxton praised the student organizers as part of a youth-driven conservative movement. “Much of the conservative movement in Texas is powered by young patriots who refuse to be intimidated by the radical left,” Paxton stated. “I’m honored to stand with the Texas State University Turning Point chapter as they remind their peers that courage and conviction will shape the future of our state and our nation.”
A Controversial Figure
Paxton, now in his third term after being re-elected in 2022, has become one of the nation’s most polarizing state attorneys general. Since first taking office in January 2015, he has positioned himself as a champion of conservative causes while battling persistent legal troubles of his own.
Under his leadership, Texas has aggressively challenged federal policies on multiple fronts. His office spearheaded a 26-state coalition that successfully blocked President Obama’s immigration initiatives through a series of court victories. He’s also directed the state’s legal challenges on environmental regulations, healthcare policy, and religious liberty issues.
But those legal victories come alongside Paxton’s own entanglements with the law. Since 2015, he has faced securities fraud charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. More recently, in October 2020, several officials in his office accused him of bribery and abuse of office.
Perhaps most controversially, Paxton played a significant role in efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. He filed the unsuccessful Texas v. Pennsylvania case with the Supreme Court and spoke at the January 6, 2021 rally preceding the Capitol attack.
Policy Achievements
Despite the controversies, supporters point to Paxton’s record of accomplishments. What have those been?
His office oversees more than 4,000 employees across 38 divisions and 117 offices statewide, including nearly 750 attorneys handling upwards of 30,000 cases annually, according to the Republican Attorneys General Association.
One notable achievement came in fiscal year 2018, when his Child Support Division collected a record $4.378 billion for Texas families — the highest amount collected by any state in a single year. Officials estimate this success helped Texas taxpayers avoid over $1 billion in additional public assistance costs.
Early in his tenure, Paxton established a special unit targeting human trafficking that helped facilitate the shutdown of Backpage.com, which authorities described as the largest online sex-trafficking marketplace in the United States. The unit’s work contributed to the arrest of the website’s chief executive officer.
Political Journey
Born on December 23, 1962, at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Paxton’s path to becoming Texas’ top lawyer included education at Baylor University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA, followed by a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Before his election as attorney general, Paxton served in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, where he championed conservative causes including the state’s Voter ID bill and various pro-life initiatives.
His upcoming appearance at Texas State University comes at a time when campus political activism has intensified nationwide. Turning Point USA, founded in 2012, has grown into one of the most visible conservative student organizations in the country, often generating both support and controversy for its confrontational approach to campus politics.
For Paxton, the speech offers a friendly audience in a state where his brand of aggressive conservatism has repeatedly won electoral support — even as his legal challenges continue to shadow his public service.
