From U.S. Senate to Railroad Commission, the TribCast dives into the most contentious races we'll be watching on May 26

The lieutenant governor endorsed state Sen. Mayes Middleton over U.S. Rep. Chip Roy for the Republican attorney general nod. And he backed Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright over challenger Bo French.

The University of Houston survey results were within the margin of error less than a month out from the May 26 election. State Sen. Mayes Middleton had a wider lead in the attorney general primary.

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 […]

The Republican and Democratic primary runoffs are May 26. See the full list of statewide candidates, as well as local races that will be on your ballot.

The attorney general’s office reallocated taxpayer-funded rooms to donors and other private citizens, some of whom initially failed to cover the cost of the stay.

The Houston federal judge said Paxton’s office can pull out of the case as soon as acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock finds new lawyers. The unusual request comes amid a bubbling feud between the two Republicans.

Reitz, a former aide to Texas AG Ken Paxton, had sharply criticized both Middleton and Chip Roy on the campaign trail.

Middleton gave almost $14 million to his own campaign, helping propel him into first place on election night.

With a self-funded ad surge, Middleton overcame Roy’s initial frontrunner status, taking a commanding lead but falling short of the majority needed to win outright.

Follow The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2026 primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the Texas Legislature and more.

This Tuesday, Tribune reporters are watching two blockbuster senate primaries, an open attorney general seat, and more high-stakes, competitive races up and down the Texas ballot.

A damaged Xcel pole owned sparked the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in state history.

Local citizens who are preparing their own lawsuit against the chemical giant say Attorney General Ken Paxton’s suit could shield Dow from bigger penalties.

All four candidates are vying to prove they are the heir apparent to Paxton, who has solidified the office as a juggernaut in the conservative legal movement.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has broken with his party, and called out President Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxton. He says his loyalty is to Texas and to the Constitution.

Paxton said his office is examining claims that administrators and faculty helped organize the demonstrations.

Reitz believes the nation is at war with liberals, and the best bulwark against them is a fully empowered Texas attorney general’s office — with him at the helm.

Middleton has the money and the endorsements. But his primary opponents say he lacks key legal experience to be Texas’ top lawyer.

Huffman is running on her criminal prosecution experience and allegiance to the rule of law, cutting a contrast with her opponents who are emphasizing a continuation of Paxton’s culture war battles.

The agreement seeks to remedy a variety of concerns raised by government officials, who accused the development’s owners of targeting Latino homebuyers with predatory loans and false promises.

Aaron Reitz, who is running for Texas attorney general, issued the threat after an interview of Wu was shared online of him discussing non-white voting strength.

This is the latest in a deluge of investigations and litigation against Muslim groups in Texas.

The two Republicans are competing in a heated primary. Cornyn accused Paxton of abusing his office and legal experts said the AG’s legal opinion is not binding.

Democrats could be more competitive financially in the U.S. Senate race, but their comparatively small fundraising hauls for state office leave them with fewer resources to reach voters.

The primary will take place on March 3. See the full list of statewide candidates, as well as who will be on your ballot.

Texans will elect a new attorney general next year for the first time in over a decade. The office handles legal matters impacting everyday life and, currently, plays a leading role in the conservative movement.

At the Texas Tribune Festival, Republican and Democratic candidates made their case for why they should be the state’s top lawyer.

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit claims three state work-study programs are unconstitutional because they exclude religious organizations.

The suits against Galveston, Round Rock and Leander ISDs come after Texas passed a law requiring the commandments be posted in classrooms. The law is being challenged in federal court.

Attorneys for Texas recognized their bid to block payments was an extraordinary request.

While the state's strict ban on gambling hasn’t changed, fast-growing daily fantasy sports and prediction market apps are giving Texans new ways to wager without leaving home.

The measure comes four years after the state’s highest criminal court ruled the agency could not bring election cases without an invitation from local prosecutors.

Aaron Reitz and Chip Roy, positioning themselves as Paxton’s ideological heirs, have served as top aides for both the attorney general and Cruz.

The three-judge panel agreed with a lower court that Ken Paxton’s office can’t question officials from Catholic Charities under oath without first filing a lawsuit.

In dueling lawsuits, current and former employees of the attorney general’s office sling allegations that threaten to intrude on Paxton’s U.S. Senate bid.

In her announcement, Huffman framed herself as the most experienced candidate, pointing to her time as a prosecutor, judge and chair of key Senate committees.

A court hearing on Wednesday will determine whether to proceed with Paxton’s request.

Democrats will need to sort through a pileup of potential candidates who see an opportunity to harness backlash to the Trump administration in next year’s midterms.

Reitz, formerly a key cog in Texas’ conservative legal pipeline, once said the AG’s office is at war with “the forces that want to destroy the American order.”

Authorities have arrested a former New Orleans jail employee and accused her of aiding in a 10-inmate escape at the facility last month.

Experts say Wednesday’s action to eliminate the long-standing policy could be a “collusive lawsuit,” where the state and feds worked the courts to get a desired outcome.

The 33 potential voting violations are a tiny fraction of the roughly 11 million who cast ballots in the November 2024 election.

The harassment allegedly took place while the two were on leave from the agency working on Paxton’s impeachment defense.

Over half of the district attorneys affected by the rule filed lawsuits challenging it, saying it violates state and federal law.

A Texas business illegally dumped industrial waste into Skull Creek in Colorado County six years ago, then residents complained to the attorney general’s office.

The former federal prosecutor cited shifting priorities after a family health scare for his withdrawal, which comes less than a month after his entry into the race.

Middleton is the second Republican to join what is expected to be a growing field of candidates angling to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton as the state’s top legal official.

The vote instructs lawmakers who are negotiating a budget with the Senate to advocate for awarding Paxton the salary he missed while impeached over corruption allegations.

The attorney general positions himself as a disruptor against the Republican establishment embodied in the longtime Senate fixture.

A Texas judge last month ordered Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who practices north of New York City, to pay the penalty for allegedly breaking that state’s law by prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine.

The new finding is about 20% higher than previous estimates of the known cost of the effort to remove Paxton from office.

Critics fear increased election prosecutions could intimidate voters and local election officials. Attorney General Ken Paxton has long sought more autonomy over election cases.

Three Republican judges heard oral arguments Wednesday after a lower court blocked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to depose the charity’s leader.

The state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a punishment ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment.

The state bar sought to take away the law license of Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster over a Texas lawsuit challenging 2020 presidential election results.

The attorney general has agreed not to contest a lawsuit brought by former employees accusing him of retaliation after they said he abused his office.

After the attorney general insisted on the death row inmate’s guilt in a graphic press release, four lawmakers issued a point-by-point rebuttal.

Several local party officials have signed an open letter warning that “grave and deteriorating” fundraising and voter outreach efforts could leave some candidates vulnerable.

Paxton sued Dallas and state fair officials last month, arguing the fair’s private organizer had violated state law by banning firearms on the fairgrounds.

With the State Fair opening in less than a month, the Attorney General is asking a Dallas County judge to overturn the ban on guns.

The Texas attorney general’s office searched the home of Cecilia Castellano and a Democratic legislative aide. It said it’s investigating vote harvesting. Activists called it “intimidation.”

The group said that searches the attorney general’s office carried out this week targeted at least six Latinos, including a Democrat running for the Texas House.

The Texas Attorney General is following his familiar playbook by taking the case to a federal judge with a record of rulings against the Biden administration’s agenda.

The decision in the case brought by the Texas Attorney General preempts any future Title IX regulations that extend federal protections to LGBTQ students.

The new initiative will target companies that illegally collect and sell users’ data, Paxton’s office said.

Lawmakers created the program during last year’s legislative session.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suspected the hospital was helping Texas kids access puberty blockers or hormone treatments that are outlawed for juveniles.

Richie DeVillier, who owns land east of Houston, said the state owes him damages for constant flooding after Texas made changes to Interstate 10 near his property.

Los residentes presentaron más de 60 quejas en contra de Colony Ridge. No obtuvieron muchas soluciones del estado.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has said she rejects the “unconstitutional and discriminatory” way an investigation into allegations of illicit enrichment is being carried out, after police broke down the front door of her house with a battering ram overnight in search of luxury watches.

The Tribune reported last year that a company called Influenceable LLC was paid to recruit influencers to defend Attorney General Ken Paxton over his impeachment.

With his impeachment and securities fraud case behind him, Paxton’s political stock is on the rise.

Residents of the Houston-area development, who were maligned by Republicans last year, have complained about the developer for years.

The lead attorney helping defend Paxton against former top aides is charging $540 an hour.

A Travis County judge denied the attorney general’s attempt to decide the case without a jury.

The ruling by the all-Republican court came after former President Donald Trump told justices to leave Paxton alone.

This is at least the second time Ken Paxton’s office has sought such records from an out-of-state provider since Texas banned transition-related care for kids.

The attorney general accused the judge of “recklessly disregarding legal precedent” after he attempted to end the long-running lawsuit from former staffers.

The Defend Texas Liberty PAC gave just $10,000 in the last two months of 2023 and received no new money from its billionaire funders.

The attorney general has gone on an endorsement spree since his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial last year, backing primary challengers to the House Republicans who voted to impeach him.

Suspecting the Washington-based hospital of providing gender-affirming care to Texas children, which is now banned in Texas, AG Ken Paxton issued investigative subpoenas demanding medical information.

The four whistleblowers asked the court last month to force the attorney general and his aides to sit for deposition, which would require them to answer questions under oath related to the allegations of bribery and corruption.

Experts argue other assertions made in the lawsuit filing are completely unsubstantiated, such as one claiming that vaccinated people were more likely to die from COVID-19, which Texas health data disputes.

After a report from Media Matters showed advertisements from major brands appeared next to antisemitic posts on X, the company sued the media watchdog group and its reporter. The Texas Attorney General’s Office plans to investigate the nonprofit for potential fraud.

The legal battle stems from the attorney general’s unsuccessful 2020 lawsuit that leaned heavily on discredited claims of election fraud in other states. Paxton’s lawyers argue that the bar’s lawsuit is an attempt to control how he runs his office.

During the impeachment trial, whistleblowers testified they believed Paul to be a criminal and were concerned that Paxton was essentially turning the keys of the office over to him.

The charges stem from accusations that in 2011 Paxton tried to solicit investors in a McKinney technology company without disclosing that it was paying him to promote its stock. The attorney general has pleaded not guilty.

Republicans showed a more clear divide, giving the Senate higher marks than the House for how the attorney general’s impeachment was handled.

Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune show the attorneys were expected to return to work after the impeachment trial ended and their extended absence raised concerns internally about the offices’ ability to function properly.

The whistleblower lawsuit, which argues that four senior staffers were improperly fired in retaliation for reporting Paxton to the FBI, returns to a Travis County trial court for action.

Comptroller Glenn Hegar said he disagreed with Paxton’s interpretation of the law and suggested he seek a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court.

On Monday, the former state employees argued that Paxton has failed to uphold key parts of the settlement agreement, including a $3.3 million payment and a promise to apologize.

Lawyers criticize a provision they say erodes the separation of powers between Texas’ executive branch and its courts. It’s been used repeatedly this year as Texans try to block new state laws from going into effect

The Texas attorney general was exonerated by the state Senate, but a lawsuit from former employees still lingers.

The lieutenant governor said that he took just as much from “the other side,” including donors aligned with Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which Paxton has labeled a political enemy.

The radio interviews came the morning after Paxton gave his first post-acquittal interview to Tucker Carlson, telling the former Fox News host he was “re-energized” after the acquittal.

In his first remarks since being acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment, the suspended Texas attorney general blamed Democrats while also taking aim at a number of high-profile Republicans.

“I feel there were six senators who were ready to be the 21st vote,” said Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas. “But they didn’t want to be the 20th vote.”

The impeachment proceedings, and the events that precipitated them, have left the Texas Office of the Attorney General in turmoil. Can Paxton steady the ship of an institution vital to the conservative cause?