2026 Texas Attorney General election

For related races, see 2026 United States attorney general elections.

2026 Texas Attorney General election

←  2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton Republican

The 2026 Texas Attorney General election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the Attorney General of Texas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent John Cornyn instead of seeking re-election to a fourth term. ^[1] The primary election was held on March 3.

Republican primary

Candidates

Advanced to runoff

• Mayes Middleton, state senator from the 11th district (2023–present) ^[2]
• Chip Roy, U.S. representative from Texas's 21st congressional district (2019–present) ^[3]

Eliminated in primary

• Joan Huffman, state senator from the 17th district (2008–present) ^[4]
• Aaron Reitz, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy (2025) ^[5]

Withdrawn

• John Bash, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas (2017–2020) ^[6]

Declined

• Brian Harrison, state representative from the 10th district (2021–present) and candidate for Texas's 6th congressional district in 2021 ^[7] (running for re-election) ^[8]
• Bryan Hughes, state senator from the 1st district (2017–present) ^[9]
• Eric Johnson, mayor of Dallas (2019–present) ^[10]
• Mitch Little, state representative from the 65th district (2025–present) (running for re-election) ^[11]
• Ken Paxton, incumbent attorney general (running for U.S. Senate, endorsed Reitz) ^{[12] [13]}
• Matt Rinaldi, former chair of the Texas Republican Party (2021–2024) and former state representative from the 115th district (2015–2019) ^[14]

Endorsements

Joan Huffman

Labor unions

• Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas ^[15]

Newspapers

• Austin American-Statesman ^[16]
• Dallas Morning News ^[17]
• Houston Chronicle ^[18]
• San Antonio Express-News ^[19]

Mayes Middleton

U.S. representatives

• Brian Babin, TX-36 (2015–present) ^[20]
• Lance Gooden, TX-05 (2019–present) ^[20]
• Randy Weber, TX-14 (2013–present) ^[20]

State legislators

• Brent Hagenbuch, state senator from the 30th district (2025–present) ^[21]
• Adam Hinojosa, state senator from the 27th district (2025–present) ^[21]
• Briscoe Cain, state representative from the 128th district (2017–present) ^[21]
• Brian Harrison, state representative from the 10th district (2021–present) ^[21]

Individuals

• Riley Gaines, conservative activist ^[22]

Organizations

• Young Conservatives of Texas (co-endorsement with Roy) ^[23]

Aaron Reitz

Statewide officials

• Ken Paxton, attorney general of Texas (2015–present) ^[13]

Labor unions

• National Border Patrol Council ^[20]

Organizations

• Conservative Political Action Committee ^[24]
• Remembrance Project ^[20]
• Republicans for National Renewal ^[25]

Chip Roy

Executive branch officials

• Mark Meadows, former White House Chief of Staff (2020–2021) ^[21]

U.S. senators

• Ted Cruz, Texas (2013–present) ^[13]
• Mike Lee, Utah (2011–present) ^[13]

U.S. representatives

• Jodey Arrington, TX-19 (2017–present) ^[26]
• Lauren Boebert, CO-04 (2021–present) ^[13]
• Michael Cloud, TX-27 (2018–present) ^[21]
• Byron Donalds, FL-19 (2021–present) ^[13]
• Matt Gaetz, former FL-01 (2017–2024) ^[21]
• Ronny Jackson, TX-13 (2021–present) ^[21]
• Keith Self, TX-03 (2023–present) ^[13]
• Pete Sessions, TX-17 (2021–present) ^[21]
• Beth Van Duyne, TX-24 (2021–present) ^[21]

Organizations

• Gun Owners of Texas ^[27]
• Students for Life of America ^[28]
• Young Conservatives of Texas (co-endorsement with Middleton) ^[23]

Newspapers

• Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^[29]

Fundraising

Campaign finance Reports as of December 31, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Joan Huffman (R)	$512,017	$865,632	$2,718,093
Mayes Middleton (R)	$11,819,827	$7,133,607	$5,098,210
Aaron Reitz (R)	$1,658,444	$1,045,705	$2,953,221
Chip Roy (R)	$4,500,000	$1,224,264	$4,272,044
Source: Texas Ethics Commission [30]

Debates and forums

2026 Texas Attorney General Republican primary debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Participants
P Participant   A Absent   N Non-invitee   I Invitee   W  Withdrawn
Huffman	Middleton	Reitz	Roy
1 [31]	February 17, 2026	Republican Attorneys General Association	Allie Beth Stuckey	WFAA	P	P	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Joan Huffman	Mayes Middleton	Aaron Reitz	Chip Roy	Other	Undecided
Blueprint Polling (D) [32]	February 23–24, 2026	529 (LV)	± 5.3%	11%	26%	11%	30%	3% [b]	19%
UT Tyler [33]	February 13–22, 2026	– (LV)	–	21%	26%	9%	36%	–	8%
		– (RV)		21%	27%	10%	34%	–
University of Texas/ Texas Politics Project [34]	February 2–16, 2026	292 (LV)	± 5.7%	9%	38%	5%	40%	8% [c]	–
University of Houston/YouGov [35]	January 20–31, 2026	550 (LV)	± 4.2%	13%	23%	6%	33%	–	25%
Pulse Decision Science (R) [36] [A]	December 14–17, 2025	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	10%	9%	6%	49%	–	26%
Pulse Decision Science (R) [37] [A]	November 2–5, 2025	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	13%	13%	7%	40%	–	27%
University of Houston/ Texas Southern University [38]	September 19 – October 1, 2025	576 (RV)	± 4.1%	12%	3%	8%	40%	–	37%
co/efficient (R) [39] [B]	August 27–30, 2025	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	8%	4%	7%	24%	–	58%
Pulse Decision Science (R) [40] [A]	August 27–30, 2025	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	4%	4%	3%	38%	–	50%
Texas Southern University [41]	August 6–12, 2025	1,500 (LV)	± 2.5%	12%	8%	7%	–	–	73%

Results

Republican primary (93% reporting)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mayes Middleton	808,728	39.1
	Republican	Chip Roy	653,384	31.6
	Republican	Joan Huffman	312,178	15.1
	Republican	Aaron Reitz	293,174	14.2
Total votes			2,067,464	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Advanced to runoff

• Joe Jaworski, former mayor of Galveston, grandson of former U.S. Department of Justice special counsel Leon Jaworski, and candidate for attorney general in 2022 ^[42]
• Nathan Johnson, state senator from the 16th district (2019–present) ^[43]

Eliminated in primary

• Tony Box, attorney ^[44]

Declined

• Joaquin Castro, U.S. representative from Texas's 20th congressional district (2013–present) ^[45] (running for re-election)
• Jasmine Crockett, U.S. representative from Texas’s 30th congressional district (2023–present) ^[46] (running for U.S. Senate)
• Roland Gutierrez, state senator from the 19th district (2021–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024 (running for re-election) ^[47]
• Justin Nelson, partner at Susman Godfrey and nominee for attorney general in 2018 ^[48]

Endorsements

Tony Box

Organizations

• VoteVets ^[49]

Newspapers

• Austin American-Statesman ^[50]
• San Antonio Express-News ^[51]

Joe Jaworski

State legislators

• Gene Wu, minority leader of the Texas House of Representatives (2025–present) from the 137th district (2017–present) ^[52]
• Ann Johnson, state representative from the 134th district (2021–present) ^[52]
• Ron Reynolds, state representative from the 27th district (2011–present) ^[52]
• Jon Rosenthal, state representative from the 135th district (2019–present) ^[52]

Organizations

• Texas Young Democrats, ^[53]

Nathan Johnson

U.S. representatives

• Julie Johnson, TX-32 (2025–present) ^[52]
• Marc Veasey, TX-33 (2013–present) ^[52]

State legislator

• Sarah Eckhardt, state senator from the 14th district (2020–present) ^[52]
• Borris Miles, state senator from the 13th district (2016–present) ^[52]
• Royce West, state senator from the 23rd district (1993–present) ^[52]
• José Menéndez, state senator from the 26th district (2015–present) ^[52]
• Rodney Ellis, Harris County Comissioner (2017–present) and former state senator from the 13th district (1990–2017) ^[52]

Local officials

• John Creuzot, Dallas County District Attorney (2019–present) ^[52]

Labor unions

• Texas AFL-CIO ^[54]

Organizations

• Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus ^[55]

Newspapers

• Dallas Morning News ^[56]
• Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^[57]
• Houston Chronicle ^[58]
• The Austin Chronicle ^[59]

Fundraising

Campaign finance Reports as of December 31, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Tony Box (D)	$137,602	$87,897	$27,548
Joe Jaworski (D)	$219,882	$166,693	$249,986
Nathan Johnson (D)	$652,819	$349,080	$757,681
Source: Texas Ethics Commission [30]

Debates and forums

2026 Texas Attorney General Democratic primary debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Participants
P Participant   A Absent   N Non-invitee   I Invitee   W  Withdrawn
Box	Jaworski	Johnson
1 [60]	January 22, 2026	Richardson Area Democrats	James Barragan	YouTube	A	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Tony Box	Joe Jaworski	Nathan Johnson	Other	Undecided
UT Tyler [33]	February 13–22, 2026	– (LV)	–	25%	32%	35%	–	8%
		– (RV)		26%	31%	34%	–	9%
University of Texas/ Texas Politics Project [34]	February 2–16, 2026	183 (LV)	± 7.2%	10%	52%	28%	11% [d]	–
University of Houston/YouGov [35]	January 20–31, 2026	550 (LV)	± 4.2%	13%	22%	25%	–	40%
Slingshot Strategies (D) [61] [C]	January 14–21, 2026	1,290 (LV)	± 3.7%	2%	5%	10%	5% [e]	78%
Texas Southern University [62]	December 9–11, 2025	1,600 (LV)	± 2.5%	3%	21%	19%	–	57%
Texas Southern University [41]	August 6–12, 2025	1,500 (LV)	± 2.5%	–	20%	20%	–	60%

Results

Democratic primary (91% reporting)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Nathan Johnson	1,000,608	48.1
	Democratic	Joe Jaworski	549,676	26.4
	Democratic	Anthony "Tony" Box	529,426	25.5
Total votes			2,079,710	100.00

Third-party and independent candidates

Candidates

Declared

• Tom Oxford (Libertarian), attorney and perennial candidate ^[63]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball [64]	Safe R	August 21, 2025

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Generic Republican vs. generic Democrat

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Generic Republican	Generic Democrat	Other	Undecided
Texas Public Opinion Research [65]	August 27–29, 2025	843 (RV)	± 4.6%	47%	44%	9% [f]	–

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. "Do not remember" with 2%; "Did not vote in this race" with 1%
3. "Someone else" with 8%
4. "Someone else" with 11%
5. "Would not vote in that race" with 5%
6. "Someone else" with 9%

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by Roy's campaign
2. Poll sponsored by Reitz's campaign
3. Poll sponsored by Texas Public Opinion Research

See also

• 2026 United States attorney general elections

References

1. Jeffers, Gromer (November 29, 2024). "John Cornyn and Ken Paxton have been trading jabs as a potential primary showdown looms". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
2. Scherer, Jasper (April 15, 2025). "Sen. Mayes Middleton announces bid for Texas attorney general". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved April 15, 2025.
3. Manchester, Julia (August 21, 2025). "Chip Roy launches Texas attorney general bid". The Hill . Retrieved August 21, 2025.
4. Guo, Kayla (June 23, 2025). "Sen. Joan Huffman joins GOP field vying to succeed Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
5. Goldenstein, Taylor (June 12, 2025). "Aaron Reitz, a former Trump DOJ official and Paxton aide, joins the race for Texas AG". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved June 12, 2025.
6. Runnels, Ayden (April 30, 2025). "John Bash, first candidate to enter Texas attorney general's race, exits". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved May 1, 2025.
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28. Horlander, Mary Kate (February 16, 2026). "Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins Announces Endorsement of U.S. Rep. Chip Roy for Texas Attorney General". SFL Action. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
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35. "Texas Primaries 2026" (PDF). University of Houston . February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
36. Hansen, Holly (January 21, 2026). "In: Internal polling on #Texas Attorney General GOP candidates from @chiproytx conducted Dec. 14-17. Roy: 49% (includes "definitely" "probably" and "lean" responses) Huffman: 10% Middleton: 9% Reitz: 6% 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff". Twitter . Retrieved January 23, 2026.
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53. . February 18, 2026 https://www.instagram.com/p/DU6Q_jFDle1/?img_index=1&igsh=NnA4Y3FlMXZ0MG9y . Retrieved February 22, 2026.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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55. "Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus Announces 44 Endorsements for March Primary". OutSmart . January 19, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
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57. "Star-Telegram endorsement: A Democrat who can compete in attorney general race". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 15, 2026. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
58. "Nathan Johnson is our choice for Democratic AG nominee". Houston Chronicle. February 15, 2026. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
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63. Schmidt, Noah. "9 Libertarians vie for state seats in November election". seguingazette.com. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
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External links

Official campaign websites

• Joe Jaworski (D) for Attorney General
• Nathan Johnson (D) for Attorney General
• Mayes Middleton (R) for Attorney General
• Chip Roy (R) for Attorney General