‘My husband cheated on me’ Google searches led to Paxton, Democratic strategist says

By Mary McCue Bell - The Washington Times - Thursday, November 12, 2026

A group that supported victorious Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico ran ads in Texas aimed at people who Googled phrases about a cheating husband, boosting results about Republican rival Ken Paxton’s alleged extramarital affair, according to a political strategist.

The Senate race between Mr. Talarico and Mr. Paxton, the state attorney general, was one of many seats that were swept up in the blue wave that rocked the GOP and sent dozens of Democrats, including Mr. Talarico, to Congress.

Political strategist Morris Katz, the lead media strategist on Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York City, detailed the tactic last week at Crooked Con 2026, a political conference hosted by Crooked Media.

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He said an independent expenditure group ran a targeted digital search campaign supporting Mr. Talarico.

“We did this in Texas a little bit,” Mr. Katz said. “We ran ads for anyone who Googled, ’My husband cheated on me,’ or ’I think my husband is cheating on me.’ We were boosting results of Ken Paxton having cheated on his wife.”

Mr. Paxton’s estranged wife, Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, has filed for divorce citing “biblical grounds” and alleging adultery.

The allegations followed Mr. Paxton throughout the campaign. The Daily Mail reported that he was filmed in London over the Fourth of July weekend with Tracy Duhon, who has been described in reports as his alleged mistress. Neither has publicly confirmed a relationship.

Before the general election, a joint fundraising committee for incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and the National Republican Senatorial Committee aired an ad ahead of the GOP primary calling Mr. Paxton a “wife cheater and fraud.” The NRSC removed press releases and digital ads criticizing Mr. Paxton from its website after he defeated Mr. Cornyn in the runoff.

While outside groups leveraged Mr. Paxton’s infidelity in digital ads, Mr. Talarico’s official television and digital advertisements primarily focused on Mr. Paxton’s legal and ethical controversies.

These included his 2023 impeachment, from which the Texas Senate acquitted him; a 2015 securities fraud indictment that was resolved in 2025 under a deal requiring restitution and community service; his real estate holdings; and donations from data center industry donors.