Justin Nelson depicts Republicans ghosting Ken Paxton in new campaign ad

Photo: Courtesy Of Nelson For Texas Democratic candidate Justin Nelson's goal this election season is...

AUSTIN — The Democratic challenger in the attorney general’s election is taking shots at Republican Ken Paxton in a new campaign ad, celebrating a June 25 poll that says the incumbent’s popularity among voters is slipping.

Justin Nelson, an Austin-area attorney, quietly released a biting political ad Friday about a fictional exchange of text messages between top Texas Republicans trying to distance themselves from Attorney General Paxton during election season. Complete with a variety of emojis, the ad depicts Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz ridiculing Paxton’s drop in the polls and his trio of criminal indictments. The ad ends with the group ghosting Paxton when he asks about a party at the lake next weekend.

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Nelson’s campaign released the ad on YouTube and has not decided how else it will distribute the more than one-minute spot. The narrow margin in the poll is the biggest campaign victory so far for Nelson, a political novice who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election.

Paxton, a first-term attorney general popular among Tea Party Republicans, was indicted on three felony charges months after he took office in 2015. He was charged with two counts of securities fraud and a third count of failing to register as an investment adviser. Read more about the charges against him here. Paxton, the state’s top lawyer, has yet to go to trial after a series of delays.

The poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune released last week shows Paxton leads Nelson 32 percent to 31 percent, with 25 percent of likely voters undecided and 10 percent favoring someone else.

Andrea Zelinski is a staff writer who covers politics. Read her latest stories here. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.