Editor’s note: This is an updated version of one of our primary surveys featuring candidates in the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate and attorney general. This Q&A has been edited since it first ran before the March primary to remove Aaron Reitz, a former top official in the U.S. Department of Justice, and state Sen. Joan Huffman, who did not advance to the runoff. See all of our resources for voting in the Texas primary runoffs here.
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s decision to run for U.S. Senate set off an expensive, competitive race for Texas attorney general, one of the state’s most powerful posts.
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With no Republican candidate earning more than 50% of votes during the March primaries, state Sen. Mayes Middleton from Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy from Austin will face off again during the May 26 primary runoffs. The winner will take on the Democratic nominee in November and look to continue the GOP’s three-decade winning streak in Texas statewide elections.
Whoever wins this seat as Texas’ top lawyer will be responsible for defending challenges to state agencies and statutes in court, issuing opinions interpreting state law, undertaking investigations and bringing lawsuits to protect residents of the state. They will be responsible for legal affairs that impact everyday Texans’ lives, like enforcing child support judgments, stopping waste and fraud in government programs and investigating deceptive charities, unscrupulous businesses and fraudulent billing.
Middleton and Roy beat out state Sen. Joan Huffman of Houston and Aaron Reitz, a former aide to Paxton and top U.S. Department of Justice official, in the crowded March primary. Now, both Middleton and Roy have promised to use the attorney general’s agency to try to overturn decades-old Supreme Court precedent on issues such as public school access for undocumented students.
Roy, who is known for calling out leaders of his own party, is pitching himself as a conservative candidate committed to Texas, first and foremost, and with experience in the attorney general’s office. Middleton has pitched himself as a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump compared to Roy, who voted to certify the 2020 election results affirming Joe Biden’s win, an affront to MAGA faithful.
The next attorney general will get to decide the agency’s priorities. To help primary voters distinguish between the Republican hopefuls, we asked each of them ahead of the March primary to share their views on the office’s major issues. See where they stand, and how they differ.
Notably, Middleton refused to participate. In his absence, Tribune reporters sought out his past public statements and used his legislative record to give voters a view into his thinking.
Question topics
Mayes Middleton
State Senator, Galveston
💰 Campaign finance from July 1, 2025-Feb. 21, 2026:
- Total raised: $14,780,863
- Total spent: $15,195,247
- Cash on hand: $28,328
💰 Major donors this cycle:
- Himself — Middleton has self-funded his campaign with more than $13 million
- William Oberndorf, California billionaire who supports school vouchers
- Will Hardeman, Austin car dealership owner
- Monty Bennett, a Dallas area businessman
🏢 Experience:
- State senator since 2023, representing Galveston and surrounding areas
- State representative from 2019 to 2023
- President, Middleton Oil Company, a family company
- Graduate of the University of Texas School of Law
- Authored anti-trans “bathroom bill” passed by Texas Legislature in 2025
📣 Endorsements:
- Aaron Reitz, a top Trump DOJ official and a former attorney general primary candidate
- Texas Eagle Forum
- The True Texas Project
- Conservative Republicans of Texas
- Republican state legislators including Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton, Sen. Adam Hinojosa, R-Corpus Christi, Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deerfield, Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian and dozens more
🗞️ In the news:
Chip Roy
U.S. Representative, Central Texas
💰 Campaign finance from Aug. 21, 2025-Feb. 21, 2026:
- Total raised: $5,127,045
- Total spent: $4,900,986
- Cash on hand: $1,207,789
💰 Major donors this cycle:
- Chip Roy for Congress (transferred $2.1 million from his federal campaign account)
- Douglas Scharbauer, Midland oil investor
- Alex Fairly, Amarillo businessman
- Mickey Dunn, Fredericksburg businessman
🏢 Experience:
- Four-term congressman representing Central Texas in the U.S. House
- Former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz
- First assistant attorney general under Paxton
- Senior advisor to Gov. Rick Perry from 2011 to 2012, and ghostwriter of his book, “Fed Up!”
- Authored the SAVE Act requiring proof of citizenship passed by the U.S. House in 2025
📣 Endorsements:
- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. representatives including Keith Self, R-Mckinney, Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, Beth Van Duyne, R-Dallas, Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, and Pete Sessions, R-Waco
- Former U.S. reps. Matt Gaetz and Mark Meadows
🗞️ In the news:
- Chip Roy faces Mayes Middleton’s millions in Texas attorney general GOP runoff, Texas Tribune, Texas Tribune
Q&A
Attorney General Ken Paxton has refused to represent state agencies in certain lawsuits — at least 75 times in a recent two-year period — forcing agencies to hire outside counsel. Does the OAG have a responsibility to defend all state agencies in-house?
Roy
No. The OAG has a responsibility to have the best in-house lawyers possible and to find the most cost-effective way to win litigation. Sometimes that means employing outside counsel, but in partnership with a stellar in-house team to minimize costs and maximize state expertise.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. The Texas Tribune was unable to find public comments from Middleton on this issue.
Paxton has also relied on outside counsel for lawsuits against Big Tech and pharmaceutical companies, among other cases. Would you continue that practice?
Roy
It is perfectly appropriate to use outside counsel. I will continue to use outside counsel but would review all outside contracts in a way consistent with my answer above.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. The Texas Tribune was unable to find public comments from Middleton on this issue.
The attorney general is responsible for interpreting and enforcing open records law. How would your approach to open records be similar or different than Paxton’s?
Roy
Texans deserve transparency from their government. I would ensure the Open Records Division operates with clear timelines, responsiveness, and respect for the public’s right to know. I also believe we should investigate best practices with modern technology, AI, and other tools to ensure we have the most transparent government possible with the fastest turnaround of cases at OAG possible.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. Middleton has filed legislation to expand access to open records and has said making records widely accessible is a top campaign priority, citing them as a key tool to fight waste, fraud and abuse. While he hasn’t addressed Paxton’s handling of open records law specifically, Middleton said that “open records have largely become closed records,” and he would push for more transparency and accessibility as attorney general.
Paxton filed a lawsuit challenging the results of the 2020 election as illegitimate; that lawsuit was promptly dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Would you have filed a similar lawsuit if you’d been running the office then? Do you believe the 2020 election was legitimate?
Roy
The 2020 election was plagued with rampant fraud, as has been increasingly documented over time, and raised very legitimate questions about the electors. I was publicly and privately concerned about alleged fraud at the time, was targeted by the New York Times and other media over private text messages to my friend Mark Meadows (then chief of staff to the president) about those issues, and have even been the target of the DOJ for daring to question the outcome of the election. As I very publicly said at the time, I disagreed with the litigation strategy because I knew it would be tossed out for lack of standing (it was), was therefore a distraction from focusing on what we could review, and that one state should not be trying to tell another state how it selects its electors. (As AG, I would defend Texas against any challenge to our process.)
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. Middleton has said the 2020 election was “stolen” from President Donald Trump.
Do you believe the state has to cooperate with court rulings, from state or federal courts, that you believe were wrongly decided?
Roy
The state of Texas does not have to surrender to judicial activism. I will respect and promote the rule of law, but that includes standing up to courts that overstep their constitutional authority. If a court issues a ruling I believe is unconstitutional, I will aggressively pursue appeals and work to overcome it through all means appropriate under the Constitution.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. The Texas Tribune was unable to find public comments from Middleton on this issue.
Paxton has pushed to enforce Texas’ restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care on health care providers in other states. Do you believe Texas’ laws should be enforceable in other states?
Roy
Texas law will be enforced. No corporation or organization hiding behind blue-state politics while operating in Texas will get a free pass to violate our laws or endanger Texans.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. The Texas Tribune was unable to find public comments from Middleton on this issue.
Paxton has sued numerous private companies, ranging from Big Tech firms to airplane manufacturers and clothing brands. Do you agree Texas’ attorney general should make suing big business a top priority?
Roy
This is a major priority of my campaign. When large corporations act as crony extensions of government or foreign interests, the attorney general must step in.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. Middleton has authored or voted for numerous bills that take aim at major companies, including removing soda, sweetened drinks, and candy from the food stamps program and removing cell phones from classrooms to stop “ woke tech companies from trying to harm kids .”
Last legislative session, lawmakers affirmed the attorney general’s ability to independently prosecute election crimes. Do you believe investigating and bringing criminal election charges should be a top priority for the office?
Roy
Yes. This should be a core function of the OAG. I supported the Legislature’s efforts this past session. My office will aggressively investigate and prosecute election crimes. Texans deserve to know their elections are secure and legitimate and under my leadership they will.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. Middleton has said election integrity is a top priority, and points to his role in passing legislation that allows the attorney general’s office to pursue election fraud cases without waiting for invitation by a local prosecutor. He has promised to create an election integrity division within the attorney general’s office with broad law enforcement power to investigate allegations of voter fraud.
Do you believe the attorney general’s office should be given more independent criminal prosecutorial authority?
Roy
Yes. I will pursue greater prosecutorial authority to enforce state law when failed district attorneys refuse to do their jobs. Texas law must and will be enforced in every county.
Middleton
Did not respond to questions. Middleton has said he wants to see district attorneys removed from office if they do not fully prosecute certain crimes. He has also said he would investigate Democratic megadonor George Soros, who has donated to left-leaning district attorneys and judges.
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