On the eve of Election Day, 51 attorneys general from around the country signed a letter condemning any potential violence and urging a peaceful transition of power.
Notably absent from the list? Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He was one of just three state attorneys general, including Indiana’s Todd Rokita and Montana’s Austin Knudsen, who did not sign on to the letter. All three are Republicans.
The attorneys general from several U.S. territories, as well as the District of Columbia, also signed on to the letter.
Paxton’s agency spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Texas Newsroom also reached out to the spokespeople for Gov. Greg Abbott and Secretary of State Jane Nelson, whose office helps administer elections.
The Houston Chronicle first reported Paxton’s absence.
Paxton has been active on social media on Election Day, urging conservatives to reelect former President Donald Trump and celebrating his win to keep federal election monitors out of polling places in Texas. He also addressed the election on the radio Tuesday morning.
Paxton has a fraught relationship with the organization that issued the letter, the National Association of Attorneys General, or NAAG. The organization bills itself as a nonpartisan group that encourages collaboration among state attorneys general.
Paxton was one of just a handful of attorneys general who did not sign the group’s letter condemning the attack on the U.S. Capitol that took place on Jan. 6, 2021. Instead, the then-attorneys general of Indiana, Louisiana and Montana penned their own letter condemning all violent acts carried out in the name of political ideology.
Paxton did not sign that letter, either.
Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, attended the pro-Trump rally that took place in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. That day, Paxton’s agency posted a statement in which he called on protesters to be peaceful: “I stand for election integrity and the democratic process. I will not tolerate violence and civil disorder.”
In the weeks after, Paxton refused to release his records from that day and led the lawsuit challenging the election results in key swing states, a decision for which he has been sued by a disciplinary committee of the State Bar of Texas.
In May 2022, Paxton’s agency announced that Texas was leaving NAAG.
In a letter posted to the social media site X, Paxton accused the organization of having a “liberal bent.” Missouri and Montana followed suit. Weeks later, eight other conservative attorneys general also expressed their concerns with what they said was the group’s bias.
Paxton has been more active with the Attorney General Alliance, another national organization, in the years since.
These eight states, as well as Missouri, signed on to the letter condemning election violence that NAAG released Monday.
“Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, we expect that Americans will respond peacefully and we condemn any acts of violence related to the results. A peaceful transfer of power is the highest testament to the rule of law, a tradition that stands at the heart of our nation’s stability. As Attorneys General, we affirm our commitment to protect our communities and uphold the democratic principles we serve,” the Nov. 4 NAAG letter reads.
It adds: “We call upon every American to vote, participate in civil discourse and, above all, respect the integrity of the democratic process. Let us come together after this election not divided by outcomes but united in our shared commitment to the rule of law and safety of all Americans. Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”
A NAAG spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the holdouts.
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