Four Republicans Running For Texas Attorney General

Four Republicans so far are running for Texas attorney general.

U.S. Chip Roy is the latest to announce he’s running for AG, joining state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, and Aaron Reitz, a former Texas deputy attorney general.

They are vying to replace Attorney General Ken Paxton who is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

Middleton, a Republican from Galveston, first announced his bid in April. He’s the only candidate with no prosecutorial experience. President of Middleton Oil Company, he also runs ranching, cattle, and farming operations. Middleton has served in both the Texas House and Senate and consistently ranks as among the most conservative members. He has championed a partial ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying, advocated for parental rights and school choice, authored bills to protect women’s and girls’ sports, bathrooms and locker rooms, and a ban on COVID vaccine mandates, among other legislation. He’s rejected a state pension and taxpayer-funded healthcare and donates his entire state salary to local charities.

Huffman is running to become the first female attorney general of Texas. A former Harris County prosecutor and Criminal District Court judge, Huffman is the only three-time recipient of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association’s Law and Order Award. In the Texas Senate, she’s authored numerous bills to strengthen the criminal justice system and bring transparency and accountability to the judiciary.

Huffman led the charge against the defund the police movement by authoring a new law, “Back the Blue Act,” which penalizes cities and counties that defund law enforcement. She authored critical bail reform legislation, leading a bipartisan movement in response to judges releasing violent criminals onto the streets only to keep committing violent crime. She authored new laws to enable the removal of prosecutors who refuse to enforce the law, to increase penalties for violent crimes, including for fentanyl trafficking involving murder, and several measures to protect victims, including human trafficking victims.

Reitz served in the AG’s office during the impeachment of Paxton, the only attorney general to be impeached in Texas history. Paxton was impeached by 60 House Republicans on 20 charges, including bribery. The Texas Senate acquitted him along party lines. During the impeachment trial, longtime Texas Ranger David Maxwell alleged female employes made sexual harassment complaints against Reitz. After the trial, additional lawsuits were filed by Paxton’s top deputies against each other alleging sexual harassment, falsifying documents and witness tampering, multiple news outlets reported.