ActBlue, the online fundraising platform that powers the vast majority of Democratic campaign donations, has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The goal is to shut down his investigation and block the state civil action he brought in April.
Paxton’s original suit alleged that ActBlue violated state laws by allowing donation processes vulnerable to fraudulent and foreign contributions. Now, ActBlue is seeking a federal court ruling declaring his entire investigation unconstitutional and requesting an immediate injunction against it.
Paxton responded on May 1 with a public statement affirming he would not withdraw from the probe.
The dispute began in December 2023 when Paxton’s office initiated an inquiry into ActBlue’s practices. It expanded significantly in August 2024 after social media users highlighted records indicating individuals making unusually large numbers of small contributions through the platform, though these claims were unverified at the time.
By October, Paxton subpoenaed ActBlue, which provided thousands of pages of documents and spent hundreds of staff hours responding to the demands. In April 2026, Paxton filed a Texas lawsuit claiming ActBlue misled the public about its fraud controls and donation-processing safeguards.
ActBlue argues that the investigation is politically motivated because it targets the platform’s role in Democratic fundraising, particularly as Paxton runs for U.S. Senate. The organization states it raised more than $568 million for Democratic candidates and mission-aligned causes during the first quarter of 2026 alone. Additionally, ActBlue contends that investigators attempted to donate using an American Express gift card three times, but each attempt was automatically declined by its system.
ActBlue’s legal team has accused Paxton of spending over two years using his office to investigate, harass, and sue the platform, with timing suggesting political motivation rather than legitimate law enforcement concerns. The lawsuit frames the dispute as a First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment matter, claiming Paxton is retaliating against protected political speech.
Paxton maintains that ActBlue’s donation processes are vulnerable to fraudulent contributions and foreign money, which could compromise election integrity. He has stated that the federal complaint is an attempt to avoid accountability for his office’s actions.
Paxton has signaled his intent to continue the pressure on ActBlue, asserting he will hold lawbreakers accountable.