A new GOP ad making the case for a scandal-plagued Texas Senate candidate drew swift mockery online because of who was delivering the pitch.
On Saturday, a Republican super PAC put out an ad featuring state Sen. Angela Paxton, the estranged wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running against James Talarico for a Senate seat. The ad was paid for by an affiliate of Senate Majority Leader John Thune's Senate Leadership Fund, the Washington Sun reported.
"People have asked my thoughts about this election, and turns out, I have some," Angela Paxton says in the 30-second spot. "Let's talk about the elephant in the room."
In the ad, Angela Paxton never mentions her estranged husband by name, but calls for voters to support the Republican ticket in the midterms.
Critics were quick to point out the awkward backdrop. Angela Paxton filed for divorce on "biblical grounds" shortly after Ken Paxton launched his Senate bid last year, and she sat through his 2023 impeachment trial, where his former chief of staff testified about his alleged extramarital affair.
"She wouldn't tolerate Ken Paxton's immoral and corrupt conduct. But she expects Texans to," blasted Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) in a post on X. "Vote @jamestalarico."
"This is probably the most embarrassing ad I've ever seen," mocked Scott Moore, a policy associate at the Searchlight Institute think tank.
"Doesn't this just remind people she divorced him on biblical grounds?" wondered progressive political analyst Molly Jong-Fast.
"The team may be led by my ex-husband who I divorced on biblical grounds and who is objectively one of the worst human scum in history," ripped MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas. "But we gotta remember that this is about the elephant team versus team America."
"This had to be part of the divorce agreement," joked popular internet personality Jared Shult.
"She couldn't utter Ken," marveled Democratic political strategist Bakari Sellers.
"Oh, honey," lamented Texas Democratic legislative candidate Sara McGee.
"This will just p— female voters off even more and drive them to vote for @jamestalarico or the Libertarian candidate," suggested Democratic pollster John Anzalone. "It is a swing and a miss."