Texas State Sen. Angela Paxton has broken her public silence on her estranged husband Ken Paxton’s U.S. Senate campaign more than a year after filing for divorce on what she called “biblical grounds.”

Speaking to the Texas Federation of Republican Women on Sept. 18, Angela Paxton addressed what her speech called “The Elephant in the Room” as her husband campaigns as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.

Without directly telling the audience to vote for Ken Paxton, she emphasized the importance of keeping the Senate seat in Republican hands.

“It’s not the people — it’s the seat,” Angela Paxton said.

“We have more control over that seat and the future when we control the seat — when it’s still in the family, even if we’re mad at them,” she continued, drawing laughter from the audience.

Her remarks marked the first time she had publicly weighed in on the Senate race since announcing in July 2025 that she was ending the couple’s 38-year marriage.

At the time, Angela Paxton said she had filed for divorce on “biblical grounds” following what she described as “recent discoveries.”

“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she wrote in announcing the divorce. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”

Her divorce petition alleged that Ken Paxton had “committed adultery” and said the marriage had become “insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.”

Ken Paxton responded to the divorce announcement by pointing to “the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny” and asking for prayers and privacy. He did not address the adultery allegation in that statement.

Despite their highly public split, Angela Paxton told the Republican gathering that voters should consider more than their feelings about an individual candidate when casting their ballots.

“If we lose it to the other team, the nuances that we want to fix with maybe a certain candidate are nothing compared to what it’s going to take to get it back,” she said.

“When you vote for the person, the party comes along with them,” she added.

The comments come as Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in the November general election after defeating longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary.

A recent Fox News poll found Talarico receiving 51% support and Paxton 48%, a three-point difference that fell within the survey’s margin of sampling error.

Angela Paxton’s latest remarks add another chapter to a marriage that has intertwined faith, family and Texas politics for decades. While she has not backed away from the reasons she gave for ending the marriage, her comments suggest she is separating her personal dispute with her estranged husband from the larger political stakes she sees in the Senate race.

When announcing the divorce last year, Angela Paxton said she was moving forward with “complete confidence” in God.

“I move forward with complete confidence that God is always working everything together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose,” she wrote.