Middleton Wins GOP Attorney General Runoff; Paxton Advances | JQJO

Austin — Galveston state Sen. Mayes Middleton defeated U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in the Republican runoff for Texas attorney general, taking roughly 55–56 percent of the vote after coming from behind following the March primary. Middleton, one of the most conservative state legislators and an oil and gas executive, put almost $17 million of his own money into the race. He ran on loyalty to former President Donald Trump, criticized Roy for saying Trump engaged in "clearly impeachable conduct" on Jan. 6, 2021 and for backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' failed 2024 bid, and promoted his record passing hard-right legislation, including limits on which bathrooms transgender people can use, bans on trans athletes competing on teams that align with their gender identity, and proposals to place the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

Austin — The contest was the first open attorney general race in more than a decade after Attorney General Ken Paxton decided to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn; under Paxton the office became a center of national conservative litigation, and both Middleton and Roy pledged to continue that effort. Roy, a fourth-term Austin congressman, former federal prosecutor and former aide to Paxton, criticized Middleton as inexperienced and benefited from outside GOP donors in the runoff; he outspent Middleton on ads during the runoff even though Middleton spent more over the full cycle. Middleton will face Democratic nominee Nathan Johnson in November; Johnson has said he will restore the agency’s nonpartisan functions such as child support enforcement and consumer protection and work with other Democratic attorneys general on litigation against the Trump administration.