Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is splitting with the state GOP over in vitro fertilization after it became a line of attack in his battleground Senate race.
Paxton stated a more centrist position on IVF as polls show a tight race ahead of the November general election, saying he supported the procedure. The development sets him at odds with the Texas Republican Party, but in line with President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed “father of fertility” who endorsed his Senate campaign against Democratic rival James Talarico last month.
“Strong families are the foundation of a strong nation,” Paxton told the Texas Tribune on Thursday. “Every child is a blessing, and every family hoping to welcome a child deserves support and compassion. I am a strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies that help Americans experience the wonders of parenthood.”
The Texas GOP has expressed concern that IVF allows for the discarding and destruction of human embryos. Last week, it slammed IVF’s “commodification of human life” at the state convention in Houston.
Paxton’s statement puts him more in line with Talarico, whose website lists protecting access to IVF as one of his top issues. And it comes after the Talario campaign has hit him on the topic, linking his candidacy to the state party adopting a platform that opposes “destructive practices” such as IVF during the convention.
“The Texas Republican Party has passed a measure calling to completely ban IVF across the state,” the Talarico campaign warned, posting a picture of Paxton beside the GOP logo.
The Daily Beast reported after the convention that “Paxton has not made his stance on IVF publicly known,” and that his campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Paxton responded to that report with a “fact check” statement posted to X on Friday.
“Paxton has made his stance on this clear: ‘I am a strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies that help Americans experience the wonders of parenthood,’” the post said. “When elected he has also VOWED to co-sponsor the IVF Protection Act.”
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The Texas Senate race has become one of the most closely watched campaigns in the country, as Talarico vies to become the first Democrat to win statewide in three decades.
The latest polling shows a razor-thin race between Talarico and Paxton, who recently defeated long-serving Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in a runoff election for the Republican nomination.