Republican Ken Paxton is running for US Senate on the premise he’s fought for hardworking Texans his entire career. He is also, according to property records reviewed by the New York Times, the owner of four condominiums at a luxury Utah resort, three homes in Florida, a cabin in Oklahoma, a plot of land in Hawaii, and at least seven other properties—15 in total, worth roughly $9 million. His salary as attorney general is $153,000 a year.
Exactly how Paxton accumulated his wealth is difficult to pin down—so many of his assets have been moved into a blind trust that public records only offer a partial view. Mr. Paxton has not publicly discussed his wealth or real estate.
Paxton’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Courier Texas.
What we do know, based on the Times reporting, is ten of Paxton’s 15 properties were purchased in the last six years. The most recent acquisition: three condominiums at Black Desert, a luxury resort in Ivins, Utah—purchased in February for a combined $1.6 million and transferred to his blind trust. His trust already owned a fourth condo at the same resort.
On the deeds, Paxton listed his address as a home in Frisco, just north of Dallas. Police records obtained by the Times indicate a woman who is not his wife lives there. Paxton has been videotaped vacationing on July 4th in London with the woman, but has not addressed the relationship. His wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year on what she described as “biblical grounds,” accusing him of adultery.
The Frisco home itself was purchased by a different trust in February. The trust’s beneficiaries are not named in county property records.
The real estate portfolio is now central to Paxton’s ongoing divorce proceedings. The Paxtons sought to keep their financial records sealed, and a judge initially agreed—until news organizations pushed back in court and the sealing order was reversed.
Paxton’s wealth has been a persistent issue throughout his career. For several years, he did not list properties owned by his blind trust on his required state financial disclosures, saying the rules were unclear. After state ethics regulators clarified the requirements in 2024, Paxton listed interests in eight properties—with the locations redacted at his request. Property records across six states filled in the gaps.
The portfolio could also carry implications for the voter fraud allegations now hanging over Paxton’s Senate campaign. A joint investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune found Paxton appears to have voted in up to six elections using an address where he no longer lived—the same violation his office has prosecuted others for committing, a second-degree felony under Texas law punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The question of which address Paxton actually calls home has taken on new legal significance.
His Democratic opponent has drawn a sharp contrast with Paxton’s luxurious lifestyle. James Talarico has disclosed one property on his state and federal filings and reports an annual salary of less than $100,000.
Paxton’s assets figured prominently in his 2023 impeachment trial, where corruption allegations included claims he used the power of his office to benefit political donors. The Republican-majority Texas House voted 121-23 to impeach. The Texas Senate—led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick [R] in an opaque proceeding—acquitted him on all charges. No witnesses were called to testify.
