In a debate that largely focused on red meat issues, four Republicans gave their closing arguments on why they should be the state’s next attorney general.
Tuesday night’s debate at a theater in Lower Greenville is likely the only time the Republican candidates – state Sen. Joan Huffman, Sen. Mayes Middleton, Aaron Reitz and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy – will appear together before the March 3 primary. Early voting began Tuesday.
Some slings were thrown, with Roy being the most common target. However, questions on hot-button Republican issues, such as Sharia Law, abortion, transgender rights and immigration, allowed the candidates to repeatedly return to the bullet points of their stump speeches.
On those fronts, the candidates were largely aligned. Where they sparred was over their qualifications.
Political Points
Reitz led the charge, accusing Roy, the most well-known candidate and presumptive frontrunner, of being fired by Attorney General Ken Paxton while he was the office’s second-in-command.
“Don’t be fooled when Chip tells you that he was Paxton’s chief deputy, and he wants to cite his record there,” Reitz said. “Remember, he was so ineffective, so bad at serving as Paxton’s deputy, that Paxton fired him.”
Roy responded that it was “simply not true,” and later said Reitz secured a “precious Senate-confirmed slot” only to leave after 70 days to “ladder climb back home in Texas.”
Roy also threw barbs at Middleton’s use of more than $10 million of his own money to self-fund his campaign. He called him a “trust fund kid, spending my family’s money.”
Middleton struck back in closing remarks that Roy has “spent 10 years fighting President Trump, defending Liz Cheney.”
“We can’t afford that in the AGs office,” Middleton said.
The candidates themselves were not the only targets of criticism. Urban district attorneys were also repeatedly slammed during discussions of crime and enforcement of marijuana laws.
Reitz said that if elected, he would work to remove Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, as well as the district attorneys for Harris and Travis counties, from office within the first month after accusing Creuzot of being soft on crime and part of a billionaire-funded ring of liberal DAs.
“I will not allow these awful, leftist, insurrectionist, communist, Soros-funded district attorneys turn Texas into something it never was designed to be,” Reitz said.
The crowded field has made it harder for any candidate to secure a majority and raised the likelihood of a runoff.
Citing her experience as a Harris County prosecutor and district judge, Huffman cast herself as the law-enforcement candidate, saying it has earned her endorsements from several law-enforcement and crime-victim groups.
“They know me, they know Joan,” she said. “They know that I will fight with every breath of my being to make Texas safe and strong.”
Roy touted his endorsement from Sen.Ted Cruz, and said he would use the office to “follow the money” to better prosecute fraud and attack radical Islamic organizations in Texas.
“We need an attorney general who will put it all out there, who has a demonstrated track record of success, who is independent and strong, willing to work with this administration and willing to fight for the people of Texas,” Roy said.
Reitz highlighted his endorsement from Attorney General Ken Paxton and his experience as a litigator for the AG and the federal government. He said his appointment to the Justice Department in 2025 proved that he had already been vetted as a “true MAGA attorney,” a slogan he has used throughout his campaign.
“We need an attorney general who is battle-tested, who is proven, who’s been endorsed by Paxton to succeed, to wage war and win on behalf of our conservative Republican Christian Texas and American values,” Reitz said.
Middleton, who runs his family’s oil and gas company, focused on his legislative record on transgender issues, telling the audience that threats he has received from liberal protestors and activists were proof enough that he was fit for the job.
“The left knows who their true enemy is in this race,” he said.
And all four candidates have attempted in varying degrees to cast themselves as most aligned with President Donald Trump, who has not endorsed any candidate so far.