Police bag magazines of ammunition after arresting a man outside of a watch party for GOP Texas Senate Candidate Ken Paxton on March 3, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Paxton is facing off against numerous candidates including incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary. (Sergio Flores / Getty Images)
By C. Douglas Golden March 3, 2026 at 6:24pm
Dallas police detained a masked man entering an event for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on primary day in Texas, according to multiple reports.
Paxton, who is in a three-way race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, is holding his election night watch party in the Marriott Dallas Uptown.
Shortly before 6 p.m. Central Time, a man with a camouflage mask and several different types of weapons was detained outside the event, according to The New York Times.
The event was set to kick off at 7 p.m., when polls close in Texas, with doors opening an hour beforehand.
One social media account showed pictures off the man in full regalia outside of the hotel after “security kicked him out.”
ANTIFA? Masked man entered hotel where Ken Paxton’s victory party is being held. Mask, camo, ruck sack – security kicked him out – police interrogating him. No ID, no plates in car. Police called for supervisor. pic.twitter.com/jupfIVxmgU
— @amuse (@amuse) March 3, 2026
The man reportedly had no identification on him. A staff member on Paxton’s campaign team said that the man had asked to go into the hotel to use the bathroom, a story he doubted.
The man insisted he was an Uber driver, a story which the staffer told the Times he doubted, given that the car he was driving allegedly had no plates.
Video published on social media by a KDFW-TV reporter showed police taking ammunition from the driver’s blue sedan after the detention, including what appear to be rifle and pistol magazines:
VIDEO: A masked man was just arrested outside of @KenPaxtonTX’s campaign event. @DallasPD took him away and bagged ammunition as evidence. Working to find more details. @FOX4 https://t.co/XShK7QaebS pic.twitter.com/oiPHEsEufG
— David Sentendrey (@DavidSFOX4) March 4, 2026
In addition, the officers reportedly took a license plate from inside the vehicle. No identification was provided as of 6:30 p.m. Central, and it was unclear whether charges would be filed.
Paxton, who is considered a more conservative alternative to incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn, has led in pre-primary polls, although all three major candidates — including U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt — have fallen well short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.
If no candidate gets over 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will take place on May 26.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture
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