Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office sued Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth and her director of communications Irene Nuñez on Thursday, alleging they ran voter awareness advertisements on Facebook and Instagram that targeted certain racial and ethnic groups while excluding others. The lawsuit contends the county clerk's office used Meta's ad tools to intentionally target ads to African-American, Asian, and Latino groups but not other demographics.
Where
Harris County
When
October 24, 2026 (lawsuit filed Thursday; published Oct. 29)
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Spending on voter awareness advertisementsover $40,0001Who pays or receives it: Harris County Clerk's office
Spending on voter awareness advertisements$43,4292Who pays or receives it: Harris County Clerk's office
Who's involved
Ken PaxtonTexas Attorney General, recused from investigation
Teneshia HudspethHarris County Clerk
Irene NuñezDirector of communications, Harris County Clerk's office
James TalaricoDemocrat running against Paxton in Texas Senate race
The facts
Lawsuit alleges county clerk's office targeted voter awareness ads to African-American, Asian, and Latino groups on Facebook and Instagram.12Stated by 2 sources
Lawsuit alleges county clerk's office avoided targeting other racial and ethnic groups with the same ads.12Stated by 2 sources
Attorney General Paxton recused himself from the investigation.12Stated by 2 sources
The lawsuit was filed Thursday, October 24, 2026.12Stated by 2 sources
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Texas Attorney General's office County clerk's office exceeded its authority by classifying based on race when advertising election information.12
Texas Attorney General's office Targeted advertising amounts to racial discrimination in effort to increase voter turnout among particular races and ethnicities.12
Texas Attorney General's office Action is necessary to ensure all Texans have equal opportunity to be informed of and participate in electoral process.12
Where the sources disagree
Total spending on advertisements in past 30 days over $40,000 per [1]; $43,429 per [2]
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Texas AG Sues Harris County Clerk Over Alleged Voter Suppression Scheme
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
A 254 Labs poll conducted Oct. 21-26 surveyed 1,000 registered voters and found Democrats leading Republicans in every statewide race in Texas for the Nov. 3 elections. President Trump campaigned in Texas on Oct. 29 to support Republican candidates, appearing at the Port of Corpus Christi and in Lubbock.
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James Talarico, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic candidate for governor and 9 more
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Erica Smith, Prosper Junior, early voter; Dr. David Bridge, Associate professor of political science; Prof Mike McDonald, Director, University of Florida Election Lab
A federal jury in Fort Worth convicted Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, an Indian national and lawful permanent resident, of illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election. Bhengura falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on a Texas driver license application and voted in person at the East Library and Recreation Center in Arlington on November 5, 2024.
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Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, Defendant convicted of illegal voting and false citizenship claim; U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman, Presiding judge; U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould, Federal prosecutor making announcement and 1 more
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) filed a lawsuit seeking depositions to identify who sent unsolicited text messages and mailers impersonating the organization. TENT denies involvement and says the campaign violated Texas impersonation laws.
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), plaintiff filing pre-suit discovery petition; Mimi Murray Digby Marziani, attorney for TENT; Texas Transgender Student Union LLC, Wyoming-based company named in petition, allegedly coordinated campaign and 2 more
Black women and other Black Texans told outlets they are focused on job availability, affordability, education funding, voting access, and maternal health ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Young Black women reported concerns about postgraduate employment prospects.
Leila Kuguru, senior political science major at Clark Atlanta University and chair of CAU Votes; Kaylin McGlothen, community engagement director at the Texas Democratic Party; Kendall Scudder, Texas Democratic Party Chair and 2 more
U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico held a rally in Houston on October 21 with over 200 IAM Union and Texas AFL-CIO members, joined by national labor leaders including IAM International President Brian Bryant and AFL-CIO International President Liz Shuler.
James Talarico, U.S. Senate candidate; Brian Bryant, IAM Union International President; Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO International President and 6 more
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton canceled his scheduled campaign stop in Tyler on Thursday and instead appeared with Vice President J.D. Vance in Weatherford before a rally in Beaumont. Paxton also canceled morning rallies in El Paso and Texarkana.
Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, Texas Attorney General; J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States; David Stein, Chairman of the Smith County Republican Party and 1 more
Polls conducted in late October show Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race in Texas. A separate poll also shows Democrat Gina Hinojosa leading Republican Greg Abbott in the governor's race.
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate nominee; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and 3 more