Embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing state criminal charges and a federal complaint about his private business affairs, plans to run for re-election.

"Let there be no doubt that at the appropriate time General Paxton will make the official announcement that he fully intends to seek re-election and keep fighting for Texas," Jordan Berry, a political consultant for Paxton, said in a statement Thursday.

The former state legislator who won the attorney general's seat in 2014 faces federal and state securities fraud charges stemming from his time as an investment adviser before he took office. He was indicted by a Collin County grand jury last year, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought charges against him earlier this month.

Paxton was elected on a wave of Tea Party support and is up for re-election in 2018.