Two of the Texas Tech University System's top leaders are listed by their official university titles on an invitation for an upcoming fundraiser for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, prompting questions from Lubbock County Democrats about whether their public positions are being used for political activity.
Texas Tech System Chancellor Brandon Creighton and Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell are listed as hosts of a Sept. 29 fundraising event benefiting Paxton's campaign, according to an invitation highlighted this week by the Lubbock County Democratic Party.
The Lubbock County Democratic Party is calling on the university system to clarify whether Creighton and Campbell are participating strictly in their personal capacities and whether it authorized the use of the pair's Texas Tech titles on the invitation.
"We're not alleging a specific legal violation — that's for the Texas Ethics Commission or TTU's own compliance process to determine," the party said in a statement. "But when the two people overseeing a public university system are hosting a fundraiser for a partisan statewide candidate, students, faculty, and taxpayers deserve to know."
Texas Tech's ethics policy allows university officials and employees to make personal contributions to political candidates and organizations but prohibits them from spending or authorizing university funds to influence an election. The policy also cites state law barring public servants from knowingly misusing government property, services or personnel for certain private purposes.
The system's code of ethical conduct, which applies to regents, faculty and staff, requires officials to disclose conflicts of interest and says they should not exploit their "professional relationships or TTUS position for personal gain."
The Lubbock County Democratic Party said it wants to know whether Creighton or Campbell's Texas Tech positions or other university resources were used to promote the fundraiser.
State law sets additional standards for public officials. Chapter 572 of the Texas Government Code says state officials may not have interests or engage in activities that are in "substantial conflict" with their public duties. The law covers appointed members of governing boards at state-supported universities, including Texas Tech.
It's not immediately clear whether the use of Creighton and Campbell's official titles on the invitation violates any of those policies or laws. The Texas Tech University System didn't respond to The Texas Newsroom's request for comment on Thursday.
Creighton became chancellor of the five-university system in November 2025 and serves as its chief executive officer. Campbell, an oil and gas executive, was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2021 and became its chairman in 2025.
Campbell has previously given substantial financial support to Paxton's Senate campaign.
Federal campaign finance records show Campbell donated $274,300to Paxton Victory, a joint fundraising committee supporting Paxton's Senate campaign, on June 10. The following day, Paxton's office sent a letter on behalf of Texas Tech warning the Big 12 Conference that sanctioning the university over its handling of then-quarterback Brendan Sorsby could expose the conference to more than $200 million in damages.
Campbell later told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram there was nothing improper about the donation and said he contributed because he wanted to support Paxton's Senate campaign.
Paxton is running against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November election for U.S. Senate. Recent polling shows a tight race between the two candidates.
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