Paxton Partied in Dubai With Indicted Fugitives, WSJ Reports

With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing one of the most damaging stories of his U.S. Senate campaign. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Paxton celebrated New Year's Eve in Dubai alongside two American men who had already been indicted by federal prosecutors on healthcare fraud charges — one of whom had donated $190,000 to Paxton's political operation.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas. (File photo)

The Dubai Party

According to the Journal, the gathering took place on December 31, 2024, in a luxury high-rise near Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Video footage reviewed by the newspaper showed Paxton and his girlfriend, Tracy Duhon, watching the New Year's fireworks from a balcony surrounded by other guests, with one of the two men standing behind them.

The two men, Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, were described by the Journal as "fugitives from U.S. justice" — healthcare executives who had been indicted months earlier in a federal case in Illinois and had not returned to the United States at the time of the party.

Court records and people familiar with the matter placed both men at the event, the newspaper reported. Paxton, a Republican backed by President Donald Trump in his campaign for the U.S. Senate, was seen conversing with guests at the gathering, though the report did not allege that he had committed any crime by attending.

A Paxton adviser, Nick Maddux, did not directly address the Dubai gathering in a statement to the Journal. "Like President Trump, Ken Paxton has been politically persecuted for years, and every time, voters have seen through it and sent him back to office because they know he has always fought for Texas," Maddux said.

The Two Men

The Journal's reporting detailed the charges against both men. Ahmed and Suhail had been charged months earlier over allegations that they embezzled approximately $15 million from a Chicago hospital where Ahmed had served as chief financial officer.

Ahmed, a healthcare executive and businessman with interests in Texas, faced separate, larger allegations involving fraudulent government payments for Covid-19 tests, a scheme the Journal valued at around $195 million. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Campaign finance records cited by the Journal showed that Ahmed donated approximately $190,000 to Paxton — including a $25,000 contribution made just days after his indictment.

Both men have since returned to the United States to face the charges, according to the reports. Ahmed is currently in custody. His lawyers have said in court filings that he was outside the United States when the first indictment was issued and that family health issues delayed his return. Suhail's attorney said civil matters in Dubai had affected his ability to travel and that he returned voluntarily once those matters were resolved.

Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Ryan Martin called the footage "classic Paxton." "New year, same old corrupt Ken Paxton," Martin said in a statement reported by the San Antonio Current.

A Senate Race Under Scrutiny

The revelations arrive at a critical moment in one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the 2026 midterm elections. Paxton is seeking to defeat Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state representative, in a statewide Texas race that Democrats have not won since 1994.

Polling shows a competitive contest rather than a settled result. An October survey by UMass Lowell and YouGov found Paxton and Talarico tied at 45 percent, while a separate Siena poll released October 13 put Talarico ahead by 48 percent to 44 percent.

The race has drawn the direct involvement of the president and some of the wealthiest figures in American politics. Trump has backed Paxton's candidacy, and Elon Musk's representatives disclosed a $10 million donation to Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group supporting Paxton's bid, as part of Musk's record-breaking $276 million investment in Republican midterm efforts this cycle.

The Dubai story was not the only damaging headline Paxton absorbed that week. According to the San Antonio Current, the same Tuesday the Journal published its report, another national outlet published a separate story accusing Paxton of handing down legal opinions that favored wealthy donors.

Meanwhile, Paxton's opponent has faced his own round of questions. Talarico recently spent nine days off the campaign trail, which his team attributed to a severe case of the flu — noting that he is a Type 1 diabetic, which increases the risk of serious complications. According to The Dispatch, Republicans seized on the absence to speculate, without evidence, that he had been treated for some other condition.

Fireworks over Dubai's Burj Khalifa on New Year's Eve. (File photo)

What This Means

For Paxton, the story fits a long-established pattern — and that is precisely what makes it dangerous. The attorney general has spent much of his career demonstrating that scandal does not necessarily end a Republican's ambitions in Texas. He has survived criminal charges, impeachment proceedings, corruption allegations, and a very public breakdown of his marriage. CNN commentator S.E. Cupp has called him a "walking liability," questioning whether Republicans should continue backing him.

But this race is different. The midterm elections on November 3 are shaping up to be among the most expensive in American history, and Texas — long considered a Republican stronghold — is suddenly competitive. With polls showing the race effectively tied, a story that reinforces voters' concerns about Paxton's judgment and associations could be the difference between a safe seat and a stunning upset.

For Democrats, the timing is a gift. Talarico has run a disciplined campaign that, according to recent polling, has given him a small but durable lead. A story about his opponent partying with indicted fugitives — one of them a major donor — writes its own attack ads.

The story also underscores how thoroughly Texas politics has become a national spectacle. From the president's involvement to Musk's millions to a Dubai fireworks video, this Senate race has become a proxy battle for the direction of the Republican Party itself.

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas. (File photo)

What Happens Next

Three weeks is an eternity in a campaign — and no time at all. The Paxton campaign will almost certainly try to move past the story by tying it to Paxton's long-standing claim of political persecution, a message that has resonated with Texas Republican voters before.

Talarico's campaign, meanwhile, faces no such pressure to respond and can let the story speak for itself while continuing to build its lead in the final stretch.

The story's durability will depend on whether new details emerge. The Journal's report relied on video footage, court records, and campaign finance records — hard evidence that is difficult to dismiss. If further reporting connects the Dubai gathering to Paxton's official conduct or fundraising, the political damage could compound.

With Election Day set for November 3, Texas voters will render the only verdict that matters. The question is whether a New Year's Eve in Dubai becomes the story that ends Ken Paxton's political career — or just another chapter in a career that scandals never seemed to touch.