Texas AG Paxton endorses primary challengers to state GOP House members who voted to impeach him

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday announced his first round of 2024 state House endorsements – all of them for primary opponents of incumbents who voted to impeach him.

"Texas conservatives have seen their State House hijacked by liberal RINO Republicans for far too long," Paxton wrote in a statement posted to X. "Texas should be a leading beacon for conservative policies. Instead, Texas has had to watch a liberal House Speaker and his loyalists kill hundreds of pieces of conservative legislation that would unleash untold economic growth and secure even more freedom."

Paxton was referring to Texas GOP House Speaker Dan Phelan who led the proceeding to impeach him earlier this year. He endorsed his primary opponent, former Orange County GOP Chairman David Covey. 

"I have had enough, and I know conservative voters have had enough," Paxton's statement continued. "I'm making these endorsements to begin restoring a conservative majority in our state House. I look forward to campaigning with these candidates in the days ahead."

In May, the GOP House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton on 20 articles that include bribery and abuse of public trust. The Senate did not take up four of those articles and voted last month to acquit him on the 16 articles of impeachment they did take up. 

Paxton was recently reinstated back into office. He said his main focuses will now be the southern U.S. border and taking on Big Pharma. 

"The border has only gotten worse since I was out," Paxton said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "We're going to continue to fight the Biden administration on that. It's actually hard to believe what they're doing to this country. It's purposely causing great harm. So that's one of our top focuses."