Sen. John Cornyn uses Ten Commandments against Ken Paxton in 'biblical' attack ad
The Ten Commandments aren’t just at the heart of ongoing legal challenges in Texas — they’re also taking center stage in a tight Republican U.S. Senate runoff.
Days after the March 3 primary election that left U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and his challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, headed for a May runoff vote, an attack ad from the Cornyn campaign accusing Paxton of “depravity” for allegedly violating at least three of the Ten Commandments aired on TV and social media.
Matt Mackowiak, a spokesman for the Cornyn campaign, promoted the 60-second ad in a March 11 post on X, which accuses Paxton, 63, of adultery in connection with a reported affair that led to his 2025 divorce, stealing a $1,000 Montblanc pen, and bearing false witness for allegedly misrepresenting his properties to obtain lower mortgage rates.
"What do a burner phone, $1,000 Mont Blanc pen and this cash machine have in common? They are symbols of Ken Paxton's depravity,” an ominous narrator says over religious imagery, evidence photos, and other dark imagery.
The ad goes on to allege that Paxton “used the burner phone and an alias to hide his affair from the mother of his children. Now his wife is divorcing him on biblical grounds.” Following a dramatic pause, the Seventh Commandment fills the screen: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
After alleging Paxton “increased in his net worth by up to 7,000%” while in office, the ad further accuses the attorney general of using that windfall to fraudulently claim three properties as “his principal residence to get cheaper mortgage rates.”
“Thou shalt not bear false witness,” the ad states, invoking the Ninth Commandment.
The Commandments imagery — an apparent reference to Paxton’s continued enforcement of Senate Bill 10, which required public schools to display the Ten Commandments before it was halted by a federal judge — culminates with the Cornyn campaign’s warning for his opponent.
“Judgment day comes for all of us eventually,” the narrator states. “This year in Texas, Ken Paxton faces the voters.”
Polling commissioned March 5-6 by the Texas Justice Fund shows Paxton leads Cornyn by roughly 45% to 42%, with 13% of Republican voters undecided.
After Cornyn and Paxton failed to secure a majority of the vote in the state’s Republican Primary on March 3, Cornyn announced the launch of a Faith Advisory Council that includes pastor and author Max Lucado of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Prestonwood Baptist Church Pastor Jack Graham, and First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress.
“We need principled results, not showmanship, to protect life, religious liberty, and our values,” Cornyn wrote. “God bless Texas.”
Following the primary, President Donald Trump stated he would “soon” announce his endorsement and expects the other candidate to promptly drop from the race, calling his endorsements "insurmountable."
“Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. The president has not issued a formal endorsement as of Tuesday.
In response, Paxton offered to consider ending his Senate campaign if Republican leaders scrapped the filibuster and passed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.
The deadline for either candidate to drop out of the race ended at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Neither candidate has withdrawn their name ahead of the May 26 U.S. Senate runoff.
