❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Senator John Cornyn’s (R-TX) reelection campaign has rolled out a panicked advertisement against his Republican primary runoff opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), accusing the latter of stealing a pen.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and attorney Joe Joplin.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The campaign ad first aired on Tuesday, March 10; the pen incident occurred in 2013.
🎯IMPACT: The incident saw attorney Joe Joplin leaving the pen in a tray as he rushed through courthouse security. Sometime after, Paxton also passed through security and mistakenly picked up the pen along with the other items he had placed in the tray. After courthouse security realized the error and contacted Paxton, it was returned to Joplin.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn‘s (R-TX) reelection campaign has rolled out a panicked advertisement against his Republican primary runoff opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), accusing the latter of stealing a pen. While over-the-top and often hyperbolic campaign attack ads are nothing new, attempting to drive up an opponent’s negatives by claiming they pocketed another attorney’s pen may be a first.
The Cornyn campaign ad heavily focuses on the biblical theme of the Ten Commandments, with a booming, God-like baritone voice bellowing “Thou Shalt Not Steal” after claiming Paxton stole a $1,000 Montblanc pen, citing a 2023 New York Times article. However, Paxton never actually stole the pen.
Instead, the incident—which occurred in 2013—saw attorney Joe Joplin leaving the Montblanc pen in a tray as he rushed through courthouse security. Sometime after, Paxton also passed through security and mistakenly picked up the pen along with the other items he had placed in the tray. After courthouse security realized the error and contacted Paxton, the Montblanc pen was returned to Joplin. Notably, and perhaps lost on the Cornyn campaign, is the Ninth Commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
The National Pulse reported on Monday that new poll numbers from the Texas Senate Republican runoff indicate Paxton has regained his lead over Cornyn, with his electoral edge holding regardless of whether President Donald J. Trump endorses either candidate.
Meanwhile, the Cornyn campaign rolled out a Faith Advisory Council to boost the incumbent Texas Senator’s standing among evangelical Christian voters. However, several members of the group are well-known boosters of refugee resettlement and mass amnesty policies, with ties to the George Soros-backed Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT).
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