Attorney general candidates from both the Republican and Democratic primaries held on March 3 advanced to yesterday’s runoff election. For the first time in a decade, the state will have a new top lawyer as incumbent Ken Paxton (R) challenged U.S. Senator John Cornyn’s (R) bid for reelection. Paxton secured President Trump's endorsement and the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate yesterday, defeating the longtime incumbent senator.
On the Republican side, Texas State Senator Mayes Middleton and Congressman Chip Roy were the top two finishers among the four candidates in the primary. Middleton ended up securing the victory over Roy with approximately 55% of the vote. Middleton is one of the legislature’s most culturally conservative lawmakers, serving as the former chair of the Texas House Freedom Caucus, and positioning himself as “MAGA Mayes” throughout the primary. During his time in the Texas Legislature, he authored and passed the Save Women’s Sports Act and the strongest ban on COVID vaccines in the country. Middleton has pledged to aggressively enforce President Trump’s border security agenda and deportation orders, focus on public safety, and – similar to his runoff opponent – “shut down the woke left’s radical gender agenda.”
On the Democratic side, Texas State Senator Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski competed in the runoff. Johnson ended up with the party’s nomination, securing approximately 60% of the vote. Johnson has served in the legislature since 2019, representing a rapidly growing part of Dallas County. He practices law at Thompson Coburn LLP, where he specializes in trial litigation and dispute resolution. Priorities for Johnson’s AG campaign include consumer protection, crime and public safety, and opposition to Trump’s agenda.