Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton made more than 275 out-of-state trips since taking office in 2015, generating at least $1.9 million in taxpayer-funded security costs, an Associated Press review found. His official calendars contained about 730 blank workdays, including 112 in 2024, while travel reimbursements for his security detail rose from about $30,000 in 2015 to nearly $400,000 in 2024. Paxton’s office said calendar entries omit calls, negotiations, legal strategy and briefings, and that threats require him to travel with security. The review found Paxton increasingly focused on conservative media, national political activity and litigation against the Biden administration as he became a prominent figure in President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. His Democratic Senate opponent, James Talarico, has criticized the travel, including Paxton’s July 4 trip to Great Britain. The campaign has also drawn scrutiny over Paxton’s personal travel, finances and divorce proceedings. Trump endorsed Paxton over incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, while Paxton has trailed Talarico in most polls and acknowledged in leaked audio that a Republican midterm convention had hurt the party’s numbers.