Do voters in 2026 care about a politician’s affairs or otherwise messy love life?

That’s the question Democrats are navigating as they try to defeat Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas, who overcame a blitz of TV ads from his G.O.P. primary rival assailing him as a “wife cheater” and publicizing his wife’s decision to file for divorce on “biblical grounds.”

James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, showed off one answer on Monday, when The Daily Mail published photos and a video of Mr. Paxton traveling with another woman over the weekend to Reykjavik, Iceland. Mr. Paxton is separated from his wife, with the divorce not yet final — but that didn’t discourage the British tabloid from headlining the article “Married Texas Republican caught on video with mistress on secret romantic getaway.”

In a social media post, Mr. Talarico shared the Daily Mail article, seizing on the Iceland vacation to try to portray Mr. Paxton as distant from working-class Americans.

“Ken Paxton was impeached for taking bribes from donors,” Mr. Talarico wrote on X late Monday, referring to Mr. Paxton’s 2023 impeachment on corruption charges, of which the State Senate acquitted him. “He became a multi-millionaire on a government salary. He takes lavish vacations in Iceland while Texans can’t afford the basics. Ken Paxton doesn’t serve us — he serves himself.” He did not directly refer to his opponent’s love life.

Mr. Paxton did not confirm or deny that he was romantically involved with the woman, and did not respond to a request for comment. His trial for divorce from Angela Paxton, a Texas state senator, was previously set to take place this month but was delayed.

Mr. Talarico’s love life also became fodder for speculation after he revealed on a podcast that he had a girlfriend “of many years” and met her while they worked together. The conservative online publication Current Revolt soon reported that he was dating Brianna Menard, Mr. Talarico’s former chief of staff, who is now a lobbyist at the Texas Medical Association.