The Republicans running to be Texas' next attorney general are trying to prove they are the most loyal to President Donald Trump and his agenda.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the Freedom Caucus, is facing state Sen. Mayes Middleton; attorney Aaron Reitz, formerly with the Department of Justice; and state Sen. Joan Huffman for the Republican nomination.
Texas' current attorney general, Ken Paxton, is running for Senate, vying for the GOP nomination against incumbent John Cornyn.
While Roy has a lead in the polls, the other three candidates are trying to keep him from hitting 50% in the March primary and force a runoff in May.
A recent poll has Roy in the lead, with 33% of likely Republican voters, followed by Middleton with 23%. Huffman with 13%, and Reitz with 6%.
The candidates are using Roy's previous disagreements with Trump against him, noting that Roy said Trump showed "clearly impeachable conduct" on Jan. 6, 2021.
Roy also voted to certify the results of 2020 presidential election and endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in 2024.
Trump once said Roy was "just another ambitious guy with talent," after Roy bucked the president in late 2024 when he called for Congress to raise the debt ceiling without restrictions on future spending
At a debate Tuesday, Middleton noted that Trump called him a "MAGA champion," while Reitz said Trump considers him a "true MAGA attorney," and Huffman said she "led the fight with President Trump on border security" while serving in the state Legislature.
Roy "is somebody who has a deep disdain for the MAGA movement ... and he's only now singing a different tune now that it's campaign season," Reitz told Politico.
Paxton has endorsed Reitz.
While Middleton, who made his fortune in the oil and gas industry, donated $11 million to campaign, Roy leads in fundraising with $4 million in the bank, according to Politico.
Roy has been endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Freedom Caucus members such as Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Politico reported.
All four Republican candidates have vowed to follow strict interpretations of the Texas and U.S. constitutions, Politico said.
State Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are running for the Democratic nomination.
Paxton is the latest attorney general to use the job as a launching pad for higher office, with Cornyn later being elected senator and Greg Abbott later being elected governor.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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