While Barton had no plans to resign immediately, according to a spokeswoman, and initially had said that he would run for reelection in 2018, a number of state and local politicians indicated that they might challenge him in the 2018 election for his seat. Barton hired a crisis communication firm, and said he had suffered a "potential crime." Outlets including "Slate", NBC and CNN opined that Barton might be a victim of revenge porn, which—though not a federal crime—is a class A misdemeanor in Texas, punishable by up to one year in county jail and up to a $4,000 fine.