Texas GOP Attorney General Race: Roy Leads But Past Trump Disagreements Threaten Nomination

The Republicans running to be Texas’ next attorney general are attempting to prove their unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump and his agenda.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the Freedom Caucus, is competing against 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 currently leads in polls, the other three candidates are working to prevent him from reaching 50% in the March primary and force a runoff into May.

A recent poll shows Roy ahead with 33% of likely Republican voters, followed by Middleton at 23%, Huffman at 13%, and Reitz at 6%.

The candidates have highlighted Roy’s past disagreements with Trump, noting that Roy claimed Trump demonstrated “clearly impeachable conduct” on January 6, 2021.

Roy also voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election and endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in 2024.

Trump once described Roy as “just another ambitious guy with talent,” after Roy bucked the president in late 2024 by calling 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 stated she “led the fight with President Trump on border security” during her time in the state Legislature.

Roy has been described as someone who “has a deep disdain for the MAGA movement … and he’s only now singing a different tune now that it’s campaign season,” according to a recent report.

Middleton, who built his fortune in the oil and gas industry, donated $11 million to the campaign, while Roy leads in fundraising with $4 million.

Roy has received endorsements from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Freedom Caucus members including Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

All four Republican candidates have pledged to follow strict interpretations of both the Texas and U.S. constitutions.

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 position as a stepping stone for higher office, with Cornyn later being elected senator and Greg Abbott becoming governor.