TINY CROWD KEN: Paxton Roasted For Inflating Crowd Size At His Only Campaign Rally Of The General Election

Daily Beast: “Paxton claims to have had a rally attendance that is hundreds of people more than the venue’s max capacity.”

Raw Story: “Flailing MAGA candidate caught in crowd-size lie: 'A very Low-T move'”

AUSTIN, TX — Ken Paxton was roasted over the weekend for lying this past week about the size of the crowd of his first & only rally of the general election campaign.

Reporters on the ground were quick to point out that Paxton’s event “drew a modest audience, topping off at 100 attendees” despite his campaign's claim that over 750 attended. Photos posted by Paxton clearly showed the meager rally with “several empty seats and ample standing room” and internet sleuths noted his attendance claims were “hundreds of people over the venue’s max capacity.” 

Read for yourself: 

Daily Beast: MAGA Senate Candidate Busted Lying About Crowd Size

July 18, 2026

By Julia Ornedo

• MAGA Senate candidate Ken Paxton has taken a page out of President Donald Trump’s campaign playbook.

• The Texas attorney general has been busted inflating his crowd size at his rally, claiming his attendance was hundreds of people over the venue’s max capacity.

• Paxton spoke Tuesday at the University Draft House in McAllen, Texas, to a crowd donning MAGA hats and red Paxton stickers. He posted after the event: “763 people in McAllen, TX last night!”

• However, photos and videos shared by his campaign did not align with that boast, as several empty seats and ample standing room were visible.

• The venue’s website states that it offers five event spaces with a combined capacity of 414 people. Paxton’s campaign appeared to have rented out the largest one, the patio, which can only accommodate 150 guests.

• Local news site MyRGV.com reported that Paxton’s rally “drew a modest audience, topping off at 100 attendees.” The crowd was described as “predominantly older, with a few youthful exceptions.”

• Texas Democrats immediately seized on the discrepancy.

• JT Ennis, a spokesman for Paxton’s Democratic opponent, James Talarico, cited the MyRGV report while taking a swipe at the opposing campaign.

• “South Texas news outlet calls out Ken Paxton for lying about crowd size at his recent rally,” he wrote on X.

• “Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America and a pathological liar, and apparently that extends to describing his crowd size, too,” Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Ryan Martin said in a statement. “A very Low-T move by the Paxton campaign.”

• Paxton’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• The Texas Attorney General has battled a litany of controversies, from a messy divorce, an alleged affair, and a federal securities fraud investigation that was closed down last year after authorities declined to prosecute him.

Raw Story: Flailing MAGA candidate caught in crowd-size lie: 'A very Low-T move'

July 18, 2026

By Kathleen Culliton

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — whose political foibles include alleged election law violations and a London jaunt on the Fourth of July with a woman who is not his wife — has been caught in a boast that hundreds of people attended a campaign event, local and national reports show.

• "Paxton...held his rally at the University Draft House Tuesday evening," myRGV reported. "It drew a modest audience, topping off at 100 attendees. However, his campaign team claimed 700 people attended."

• As proof, the local outlet noted the venue can hold a maximum capacity of 200 people. It described the guests as "predominantly older, with a few youthful exceptions."

• Texas Democrats were quick to jump on the report and shower Paxton in ridicule, the Daily Beast reported Saturday.

• “Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America and a pathological liar, and apparently that extends to describing his crowd size, too,” Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Ryan Martin said in a statement to the Daily Beast. “A very Low-T move by the Paxton campaign.”

• Online commenters were no less blunt.

• "Did you miss a decimal point?" X user Laurence Hayden replied to Paxton's video post. "There’s about 50 people there you disingenuous clown."

• "How many times did you double count the same person?" asked X user Jessica Renae.

• JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Paxton's Democratic challenger Rep. James Talarico, shared the story with his 2,815 followers with the caption "lying about crowd size."

###