Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s pastor has joined the Faith Advisory Council of his opponent, Sen. John Cornyn.
After a tough primary campaign that will be settled by a runoff election in May, the Cornyn campaign announced formation of the faith team, which includes Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Paxton says he is a member of that megachurch.
Ken Paxton
While Paxton has his supporters among the hard right of Texas Republicans, Cornyn is portrayed as the more moral of the candidates. Paxton has faced numerous ethics accusations, including a long-running lawsuit about securities fraud. He also was impeached by the Republican-led House of Representatives last year but not convicted by the Senate after intervention by President Donald Trump. The longtime executive pastor at Prestonwood was among those allegedly swindled in the securities fraud. Last year, Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce on “biblical grounds.”
Graham is a former Southern Baptist Convention president who has close ties to Trump, who has yet to endorse either Cornyn or Paxton. Graham is one of five men named to the council. The others are author and pastor Max Lucado of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio; Phil Schubert, president of Abilene Christian University; Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Dallas; and Gus Reyes, a board member with National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
That’s three Southern Baptists on Cornyn’s faith team: Graham, Jeffress and Reyes. Cornyn attends a Churches of Christ congregation.
Although lesser known nationally, Reyes has a long history with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, where he twice worked with its Christian Life Commission. He also is the brother of Albert Reyes, president of Buckner International, a Dallas-based nonprofit with historical ties to the BGCT. Gus Reyes also works as director of Hispanic Partnerships with Dallas Baptist University, a BGCT-affiliated school.
“As our state and nation are in turbulent times, we need leaders who serve with principle, wisdom and integrity,” the Cornyn campaign said in a statement announcing the group. “A key element to principled leadership is who a leader consults when confronting complex problems.”
CBN reported: “According to the campaign, the Faith Advisory Council will provide guidance on issues important to religious voters, including protecting the sanctity of life, defending religious liberty and free speech, supporting the traditional family, and standing with Israel as a key American ally.”
In last week’s Republican primary, Cornyn drew 41.9% of the vote and Paxton drew 40.7%. Only about 25,000 votes separated the two top candidates, while six other candidates together accumulated about 370,000 votes.
In a further snub to Paxton, Graham posted on social media March 11 a photo of students from Prestonwood Christian Academy visiting Cornyn in Washington, D.C.
“Thank you @JohnCornyn for meeting and speaking to our students. Much respect, Senator,” he wrote.
Cornyn had posted earlier: “Great to see Pastor @jackngraham from @Prestonwood Baptist in town with @PCASchoolSystem 8th graders for spring break. I always enjoy meeting Texas students visiting D.C. to learn more about our government and nation’s history.”