AUSTIN — In the crowded race to replace Ken Paxton as attorney general, nearly every candidate is running either with or against Donald Trump.
On the Republican side, state Sen. Joan Huffman of Houston, state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and former Paxton aide Aaron Reitz have leaned into their ties to Trump, casting themselves as aggressive champions of his agenda.
Middleton and Reitz also have tried to turn Trump loyalty into a weapon against U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin, accusing him of breaking with Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and suggesting Trump should be impeached for his conduct that day.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks with reporters after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Evan Vucci / AP
Roy has countered by stressing his conservative record and independence, saying the job is about enforcing the law and defending Texas – not personal fealty. He’s defended his relationship with Trump as mere disagreements.
Political Points
The main Democrats – state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski – have seized on the GOP infighting. They say Republicans are more focused on allegiance to Trump than on the attorney general’s responsibilities.
With Paxton stepping aside to run for the Senate, the primary has become a referendum on the office itself. Early voting begins Feb. 17.
Republicans are battling over who most faithfully carries Trump’s brand of confrontation, while Democrats pitch themselves as an escape hatch from years of political turmoil.
Among the GOP contenders, it’s created an energetic campaign, with Middleton hitting the airwaves hard to build name recognition against Roy, considered the frontrunner.
Roy is a four-term member of Congress representing a central Texas district that includes parts of San Antonio and Austin. He’s a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, who has endorsed Roy, and a former first assistant attorney general under Paxton.
Roy’s sometimes outspoken comments in Washington have made him a known quantity to Republican voters. He called his conservative record “unassailable,” saying he remains focused on “defending the Constitution and defending the rule of law” while supporting Trump.
“If you look at the data, I’ve got the strongest record in Texas,” he said in a recent TV interview.
Mayes Middleton responds to a question during a debate as Republican candidates for Texas Attorney General assembled for a candidate forum ahead of the upcoming general primary which was held at Mic Drop Comedy in Plano on February 4, 2026.
Steve Hamm
Middleton, president of his family’s oil business, Middleton Oil Co., is leading the charge in saying Roy has broken with Trump.
Middleton, elected to the Senate in 2022 after serving two terms in the House, has spent millions of his own money in a TV ad blitz against Roy. He styles himself as “MAGA Mayes,” though Trump has made no endorsement in the race.
Middleton also has focused on his legislative record, which includes authoring a bill that banned transgender people from using certain restrooms in public buildings and co-authoring a bill requiring public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments.
“Who better to enforce these laws as attorney general than someone who was on the ground floor writing them and already defending them against the attacks by the left,” Middleton said.
Aaron Reitz shares his views for the future of Texas during a debate as Republican candidates for Texas Attorney General assembled for a candidate forum ahead of the upcoming general primary which was held at Mic Drop Comedy in Plano on February 4, 2026.
Steve Hamm
Reitz, a former Paxton aide, U.S. Justice Department lawyer and Marine Corps veteran, has said his executive experience – not time in the Legislature – makes him best prepared to take over the attorney general’s office.
He also holds an advantage no other candidate has: Paxton’s endorsement.
He touts his MAGA connection through his two-month tenure as a Trump appointee to the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.
Like Middleton, he also has targeted Roy, focusing on the congressman’s call for Paxton to resign after several of the attorney general’s top staff reported Paxton to the FBI for possible obstruction.
In October 2020, Roy said Paxton should step down for the good of Texans and to keep the attorney general’s office “fully functioning,” arguing the allegations were “more than troubling.”
The GOP-led House later impeached Paxton over the allegations, and the Senate acquitted him in 2023. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Reitz frequently describes his candidacy in war-like rhetoric as a crusade against the left, saying he wants to make Texas a place where liberals feel unwelcome.
“My life purpose is to destroy them and to advance our conservative values,” Reitz said at a Turning Point USA event in November at the University of Texas at Austin.
Joan Huffman answers a question during a debate as Republican candidates for Texas Attorney General assembled for a candidate forum ahead of the upcoming general primary which was held at Mic Drop Comedy in Plano on February 4, 2026.
Steve Hamm
Huffman has the most extensive public service background in the GOP field. She’s touted her tough-on-crime legislative record, experience as a prosecutor and state district judge and her support from law enforcement groups.
She was elected to the Senate in 2008, and has been its chief budget writer since 2023. Last year, she authored measures tightening bail for those accused of violent crimes.
“There’s nobody else in this race, and really, honestly, there’s been no other attorney general in the history of Texas that has my unique background,” Huffman said on WFAA-TV (Channel 8).
Huffman has run a quieter campaign and spent far less than her rivals. She largely has avoided the heavy Trump-centered messaging Middleton and Reitz have embraced, even as her website features a photo of her greeting the president.
Democratic pitch
Johnson and Jaworski have emerged as the leading Democrats, each pitching crossover appeal in a long-shot effort to flip a statewide office voters haven’t handed to their party in more than three decades.
Johnson has centered his campaign on restoring confidence and trust in the attorney general’s office, saying it should serve all Texans rather than be defined by scandal and partisan spectacle.
He said the next AG must be a strong lawyer Texans, not a political operative, and has stressed minimizing partisanship while rooting the office on fundamental legal duties.
“The office has been used as a political tool, and the interests of the public and of this state have been trampled upon in service of the political machine,” he told KTVT-TV (Channel 11).
Jaworski, who lost in the 2022 primary for attorney general, has highlighted his legal career and experience as mayor.
He said he wants the attorney general’s office to focus on serving Texans, while pledging to fight corruption, make voting easier, boost transparency and protect citizens’ rights.
“Will we have an attorney general who fights to protect Texans, or one who follows in the footsteps of Ken Paxton?” he said.
Also running in the Democratic primary is Tony Box, a first-time political candidate and Army veteran who also worked as an FBI agent and federal prosecutor. In a news release, Box said he was seeking to “bring decades of public service and law enforcement experience to an office plagued by corruption and political theater.”