Senator Ken Paxton speaks to supporters in Plano on Thursday, August 1, 2013, to announcement his campaign for Attorney General.
Senator Ken Paxton speaks to supporters in Plano on Thursday, August 1, 2013, to announcement his campaign for Attorney General. Laura Buckman

Following a similar retraction in Allen, the McKinney Police Association announced that it is withdrawing its endorsement of Republican attorney general candidate Ken Paxton.

Paxton, a Republican state senator who hails from McKinney, finished with a sizable lead in the three-way March primary. But the second-place finisher, state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, has been on the attack since Paxton was recentlyย disciplined and fined by the Texas State Securities Board forย ย violating state securities law.

The revelation already prompted the Allen Police Association to withdraw its support for Paxton, whose spokesman said the lawmaker was “saddened” by the decision.

“Given that the Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer in the State of Texas, theย McKinney Police Association feels it is necessary to protect the integrity of the AG Office andย can no longer support Ken Paxton for Attorney General,” saidย Jose Quiles, the president of the McKinney Police Association, and Farrel Ritchie, the chairman of its political action committee, in a press release announcing the retraction.

While some groups and individuals have pulled their support in the wake of the disciplinary action, Paxton still has endorsements coming in. For example, he recently announced that he had received the support of the political arms of the National Rifle Association and the Texas State Rifle Association.

Reeve Hamilton worked at the Tribune from 2009 to 2015, covering higher education and politics and hosting the Tribune's weekly podcast. His writing has also appeared in Texas Monthly and The Texas Observer....