- The First Tuesday PAC, funded by personal injury trial lawyers, is featuring Ken Paxton in some of its ads urging voters to “Vote Democrat in Every Race”
- Some of the largest donors to First Tuesday, including the Arnold & Itkin and Abraham Watkins law firms, boosted Paxton in his GOP Primary race against John Cornyn
- Personal injury trial lawyers are expected to play a major role in efforts to defeat Republicans in the November election and have helped fund James Talarico’s campaign
Personal injury trial lawyers – including some who boosted Ken Paxton’s successful race against Senator John Cornyn in the Republican Primary – are now bankrolling efforts to defeat Paxton and other Republicans in the November General Election.
The First Tuesday PAC – which is funded largely by personal injury trial lawyers – is currently running an ad campaign urging voters to “vote Democrat in every race.” Paxton’s image is prominently featured in several of these advertisements.
“Have you had enough yet? The cruelty, the attempts to silence you, the corruption, the endless attacks on our community. There’s only one way to stop the Republicans who are actively hurting you – take back our power and vote Democrat in every race,” reads one social media ad by First Tuesday that includes a video featuring sinister-looking images of Paxton.
Another First Tuesday ad, featuring video of Paxton alongside Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and President Trump, reads, “MAGA Republicans in Austin and Washington don’t work for us. They work for their billionaire donors. Stop them: vote Democrat in every race!”
“No, really. Are you better off today than four years ago? Vote Democrat in every race.” reads the tagline on a First Tuesday ad which includes pictures of Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott.
Paxton is also among the Republican elected officials First Tuesday calls out by name on its website.
“Harris County citizens are being specifically targeted by Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Dan Patrick, and other MAGA Republicans who do the bidding of their billionaire backers,” the website states.
“Abbott and Paxton followed orders from Donald Trump and MAGA billionaires to tear our neighborhoods apart to gerrymander congressional districts and steal one of our historic Black congressional seats,” reads another section of First Tuesday’s website.
“It’s not just Abbott, Patrick, and Paxton. Texas Republican leaders have recruited local MAGA candidates who embraced their corruption and do the dirty work for national extremists and billionaire backers.”
The website makes a direct appeal for Democrat votes: “Stand up and fight back! Vote for every Democrat on your ballot.”
Some of the same lawyers that are bankrolling First Tuesday’s attack ads against Paxton in support of Democrats helped boost Paxton in the Republican Primary against Senator John Cornyn.
Attorneys Muhammad Aziz, Brant Stogner, and Benny Agosto – partners in the Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner law firm – each have made large donations to the Lone Star Liberty PAC, a pro-Paxton SuperPAC. Aziz has donated $293,000 to Lone Star Liberty PAC, while Stogner donated $200,000 and Agosto donated $166,000. Aziz, whose past political contributions include donations to Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Colin Allred’s campaign against Senator Ted Cruz, and the Democratic National Committee, also donated directly to Paxton’s campaign.
The Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner law firm has donated at least $300,000 to the First Tuesday PAC for their efforts in the 2026 election.
Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC, which the Arnold & Itkin law firm funds, donated $100,000 to Lone Star Liberty PAC in April. The Arnold & Itkin law firm has also donated at least $300,000 to First Tuesday PAC for the 2026 election.
Dallas trial lawyer Mike Lyons, who donated $15,000 to Lone Star Liberty PAC in March, donated the legal maximum to Democrat James Talarico’s campaign in April.
Simon Greenstone Panatier, a Dallas-based personal injury firm, donated $30,000 to Lone Star Liberty PAC. The firm’s managing shareholder, David Greenstone, has donated $7,000 to Talarico.
As of June 30, First Tuesday PAC had raised $1.775 million from personal injury trial lawyers for its 2026 election activities. The next round of campaign finance reports, due on October 5, are likely to reveal additional major donations from personal injury trial lawyers to the First Tuesday PAC. Those campaign finance reports will cover contributions and expenditures made between July 1 and September 24.
As has been the case in previous election cycles, personal injury trial lawyers are playing a significant role in funding Democratic campaign efforts this election. As The Texas Voice previously reported, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association was named a “partner” in a memo published by the Blueprint Texas PAC, which outlined its activities to defeat Republicans in November.
In July, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association promoted a fundraiser for James Talarico at a reception for the Texas Caucusat the American Association for Justice convention. The political arm of the American Association for Justice, a national trade organization for personal injury trial lawyers with which the Texas Trial Lawyers Association is affiliated, donated $5,000 to Talarico in March.
