Aaron Reitz
Aaron Reitz was an officeholder of the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy. He assumed office on March 26, 2025. He left office on June 12, 2025.
Reitz (Republican Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Texas. He lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Reitz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Donald Trump (R) announced on December 21, 2024, that he would appoint Reitz to serve as head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy in Trump's second presidential administration.[1]
Biography
Aaron Reitz served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009 to 2014 and in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve beginning in 2014. He earned a B.S. from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Reitz’s career experience includes working as an officer in the Marine Corps, as a law clerk for Texas Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Blacklock, and as an attorney in private practice.[2][3]
Reitz has served as Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy under Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and as Chief of Staff for Senator Ted Cruz.[3]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas Attorney General election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 26, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary runoff
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas
Joe Jaworski (D) and Nathan Johnson (D) are running in the Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 26, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Joe Jaworski  | |
 | Nathan Johnson | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas
Mayes Middleton (R) and Chip Roy (R) are running in the Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 26, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Mayes Middleton | |
 | Chip Roy | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas
Nathan Johnson (D) and Joe Jaworski (D) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Tony Box (D) in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson | 48.1 | 1,000,586 |
| ✔ | | Joe Jaworski | 26.4 | 549,663 |
 | Tony Box | 25.5 | 529,416 | |
| Total votes: 2,079,665 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas
Mayes Middleton (R) and Chip Roy (R) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Joan Huffman (R) and Aaron Reitz (R) in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mayes Middleton | 39.2 | 765,773 |
| ✔ | | Chip Roy | 31.7 | 619,858 |
 | Joan Huffman | 14.9 | 291,697 | |
 | Aaron Reitz | 14.2 | 277,727 | |
| Total votes: 1,955,055 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[4] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[5] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Huffman | Middleton | Reitz | Roy | Other | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | 11 | 26 | 11 | 30 | 3 | 19 | 529 LV | ± 5.3% | ||
Pulse Decision Science NoteCandidate support in this poll was a combination of "definitely," "probably," and "lean" support combined. | – | 13 | 13 | 7 | 40 | -- | 27 | 800 LV | ± 3.5% | Texans for Chip Roy |
– | 12 | 3 | 8 | 40 | -- | 37 | 576 LV | ± 4.1% | N/A | |
– | 4 | 4 | 3 | 38 | -- | 50 | 800 LV | ± 3.5% | Texans for Chip Roy | |
– | 8 | 4 | 7 | 24 | -- | 58 | 473 LV | ± 4.5% | Aaron Reitz for Attorney General | |
– | 12 | 8 | 7 | -- | -- | 73 | 1,500 LV | ± 2.5% | N/A | |
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | ||||||||||
Election campaign finance
Candidate spending
The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates’ loan totals, if any, by clicking “View More” in the table below and learn more about this data here.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[6][7][8]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
Endorsements
Reitz received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)
- National Border Patrol Council
- Conservative Political Action Coalition
- The Remembrance Project Action
2020
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Incumbent Vikki Goodwin defeated Justin Berry and Michael Clark in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Vikki Goodwin (D) | 49.3 | 66,816 |
 | Justin Berry (R) | 48.3 | 65,474 | |
| Michael Clark (L) | 2.4 | 3,311 | ||
| Total votes: 135,601 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Justin Berry defeated Jennifer Fleck in the Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Justin Berry | 54.7 | 6,418 |
 | Jennifer Fleck | 45.3 | 5,319 | |
| Total votes: 11,737 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Incumbent Vikki Goodwin advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vikki Goodwin | 100.0 | 30,089 |
| Total votes: 30,089 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Jennifer Fleck and Justin Berry advanced to a runoff. They defeated Donald Zimmerman, Aaron Reitz, and Jennifer Forgey in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jennifer Fleck | 32.1 | 5,766 |
| ✔ | | Justin Berry | 22.9 | 4,105 |
 | Donald Zimmerman | 22.9 | 4,104 | |
| Aaron Reitz | 15.2 | 2,733 | |
 | Jennifer Forgey | 6.8 | 1,228 | |
| Total votes: 17,936 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Michael Clark advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 21, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Michael Clark (L) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2026
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 9, 2025 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aaron Reitz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reitz's responses.
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After my military service, I dedicated my career to defending Texas and conservative values in the legal and political arena. I served as Ken Paxton’s Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy, where I led Texas’s biggest fights on border security, election integrity, and constitutional freedoms. I later served as Chief of Staff to Senator Ted Cruz and was appointed by President Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to run the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice, where I helped shape national legal strategy and advance the America First justice agenda.
In every chapter of my life, I’ve fought for the principles that keep Texas strong: faith, family, freedom, and the rule of law. I’m not a career politician; I’m a Texan who knows our state and nation are worth defending with everything I have. My record proves I know how to win the battles that matter most, and I’m ready to keep serving Texans with the same grit, conviction, and integrity that have guided me my entire life.- My campaign is all about advancing an America First Law & Order agenda that puts Texans’ freedoms, rights, safety, and sovereignty first. As Attorney General, I will use every tool at my disposal to secure the border, protect jobs, defend constitutional rights, and push back against the radical left’s attempts to remake our state. By going on offense in the courts, I will make sure Texas remains the stronghold of Liberty and the Rule of Law in America.
- Securing our southern border is non-negotiable. I will relentlessly pursue legal action against anyone aiding illegal immigration, target the cartels driving human and drug trafficking, and back law enforcement with every tool available. As a former senior Trump DOJ official, I am uniquely positioned to partner with the White House to accelerate operations that identify, arrest, detain, and deport illegal aliens. Restoring border security will protect Texas families, strengthen our economy, and preserve our state’s sovereignty.
- I will root out corruption and stop far-left local governments from undermining Texas values. Rogue officials will be held accountable, radical policies blocked, and the far left prevented from steering our state into the ditch. By defending the Constitution and enforcing the rule of law, Texas will remain strong, free, and firmly grounded in the principles that built America.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Reitz's campaign website stated the following:
Fight Alongside President Trump
The Texas Attorney General oversees a team of 600 lawyers making it the single most important state attorney general office in the country to advance the America First Agenda. I will ensure the full weight of the Office of the Attorney General is behind President Trump and his agenda by filing briefs in support of the Administration, working with executive branch agencies to provide state support, intervene in the endless stream of blue state lawfare against President Trump, and ensure Texas is on the frontlines in state legal battles to defend the MAGA movement. This is how we will defend the sovereignty of the United States at our southern border, preserve Texans’ Constitutional rights, eradicate wokeness in all its forms, and ensure every Texan has a chance to succeed.
Clean Up Democrats’ Border Mess
When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris allowed the United States to be invaded by millions of illegal aliens, I fought back. First, I helped the state of Texas successfully sue the Biden Administration numerous times to stem the flood of illegal immigrants and give Texas time to mount its own defense through Operation Lone Star. I also led dozens of lawsuits to defend our border and stop the flood of illegal aliens, where we successfully curbed Biden’s efforts to halt deportations, dissolve the Remain-in-Mexico program, end border wall construction, abuse parole and asylum law, and overwhelm the nation with illegal aliens.
Later, as Senator Cruz’s Chief of Staff, I worked tirelessly on the Justice for Jocelyn Act, a bill named after Jocelyn Nungaray, a twelve-year-old girl from Houston who was brutally murdered by an illegal alien who entered the country on Democrats’ watch. The bill codifies tougher detention standards and tracking measures for illegal aliens.
Now, with President Trump back in office, illegal border crossings have plummeted. But there is work to be done. Millions of illegals are still roaming the United States thanks to the Biden Border Crisis.
As Attorney General, I will work with the Trump Administration to support their mass deportation operations, shut down fentanyl trafficking, and crackdown on illegal alien crime. I’ll also utilize all legal mechanisms to ensure taxpayer dollars, at both the federal and state level, are not going to aliens. Never again should veterans have to take a backseat to illegals, or taxpayers be on the hook for migrant hotel rooms while Americans’ housing costs are rising.
The Office of the Attorney General of Texas receives millions of dollars every year in settlement money and I’ll fight to ensure that a portion of that goes to the families of alien crime victims and Texans who have had their property damaged by illegals. I also use the office to investigate any organization in Texas that attempts to illegally harbor or assist illegal immigration.
Defeat Woke Ideology
The radical left worships woke. The rest of us in the real world cannot stand that garbage.
As Texas’s next Attorney General, I’ll make sure we destroy the woke ideology for good. No more drag shows for kids. No more teaching schoolchildren that America is evil and racist. No more confusing children by telling them there are more than two genders or that they can be different than the one God made them to be through abusive medical intervention. No more allowing biological males to dominate females’ athletic competitions. Indoctrination and insanity are over. Common sense is back.
I’ll fight to protect girls’ sports, uphold parents’ rights to know what is happening at their kids’ schools, prevent schools from pushing far-left curriculum, and go after companies peddling division and discrimination under the guise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Above all, I will stop the sexualization of kids and vigorously enforce Texas laws that ban so-called gender transitions and puberty blockers for minors.
I’ve litigated and investigated woke ideology and rooted it out in Big Tech, Big Government, Wall Street, school districts, and deep-blue cities and counties flouting state law. As Texas Attorney General, I’ll redouble those efforts and root all the radical-left nonsense out of Texas once and for all.
Secure Our Elections
In 2020, Attorney General Paxton and I orchestrated Texas’s strategy to challenge the constitutionality of the stolen election. Too many Republicans around the country were afraid to step up, but I was proud to answer the call because, regardless of how difficult it is, the right thing to do is always the right thing to do.
The same Democrats who lied about Biden’s mental fitness, Covid, Russia collusion, and so many other liberal deception campaigns also want to tell you that there is no voter fraud in the United States. That’s false. Fraud happens every cycle—including in Texas.
I know this because I led the Attorney General’s Election Integrity Teams in both the 2020 and 2022 cycles, where I coordinated plaintiff- and defense-side litigation, investigations, and law enforcement against bad actors in each of the major counties in Texas. As Attorney General, I’ll work to ensure Texas has the most secure elections in America, from our small towns to our big cities. There will be no safe harbor for those who violate one of the most sacred rights we have as citizens of the United States.
Uphold Law and Order
Texas is a state of law and order. Everyday folks here do not believe in coddling criminals. The government’s primary job is to keep citizens safe. That’s exactly what we are going to do. As Attorney General, I’ll throw the book at violent criminals, crack down on gang activity, ramp up anti-human trafficking operations, provide additional resources to unleash law enforcement on child predators, and stand unapologetically with law enforcement. In recent years we have seen an uptick in assaults on police officers. Let me be perfectly clear: if a criminal attacks one of our officers, I’ll work day and night to ensure they receive the toughest punishment possible.
Furthermore, as Attorney General, I will not rest until we hold Soros-backed District Attorneys and soft-on-crime judges accountable for their roles in allowing violent criminals to roam our streets and terrorize our communities. No official in Texas is allowed to pick and choose which law he or she enforces. And no judge has the right to put innocent Texans in harm’s way because they are more loyal to a liberal ideology than they are to the families they are duty-bound to protect.
Additionally, on my watch there will be no completion of EPIC (East Plano Islamic Center) City—a hotbed of so-called Sharia Law—or any projects like it in the future. This community is discriminatory on its face and, in violation of Texas law, could be a breeding ground for sharia law, which has absolutely zero place in the Lone Star State.
Defend Texas From Bad Actors
Every Texan deserves a fair shot to build the life they want. Sadly, the truth of the matter is that’s not always the case for a lot of hardworking people. Too often, politicians, bureaucrats, Big Business, and criminal scammers think they can push the little guy around.
- Investigate waste, fraud and abuse in the state government
- Hold Big Pharma accountable
- Stop large food companies from knowingly selling Texans food with harmful ingredients
- Sue Big Tech to put an end to censorship and to force these massive companies to protect kids online
- Bring legal action against big corporations—from insurance companies to financial institutions to utility companies—that harm consumers.
- Price rigging, privacy violations, antitrust violations and false advertising will not be tolerated.
I have deep experience in all these areas as a President Trump’s Justice Department official, Senator Cruz’s Chief, and Attorney General Paxton’s Deputy. My record speaks for itself, and you can trust I’ll get it done.
Preserve Our Constitutional Rights
When I joined the Marines, I took an oath to defend the United States Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. The principles enshrined in that document were ones for which I was willing to lay down my life. As the next Attorney General of Texas, my pledge remains the same. I will stand as the tip of the spear to ensure Texas is the freest state in America.
I am a firm believer in states’ rights which is why I managed the effort of the Office of the Attorney General to sue the Biden Administration dozens of times. Not only did we fight for Texas’s sovereignty, but we won time and again. “Aaron…was previously Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Deputy, where he led dozens of successful lawsuits against the lawless and crooked Biden Administration. Aaron is a true MAGA attorney [and] a warrior for our Constitution,” said President Trump when he nominated me.
I am an unapologetic believer in the sanctity of life and am 100% pro-life. The radical left’s pro-abortion agenda has no place in Texas and I stand ready to prosecute violations of Texas’ laws protecting unborn children. In fact, I’ve already done it: As Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy, I coordinated the effort to stop Biden’s federal government and Democrats’ in-state local governments from violating Texas’s pro-life laws and undermining the Supreme Court’s pro-life cases.
And I will never let the radical left take away Texans’ guns. Any attempt to ban certain firearms, limit magazine capacity, get rid of silencers and stabilizing braces, implement red flag laws, and expand the number of gun-free zones will be met with forceful pushback from the state of Texas when I am Attorney General.
And don’t just take my word for it: From the First Amendment’s religion and speech rights, to the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, to the Tenth Amendment’s states’ rights, and everything in between, I’ve litigated, defended, appealed, written, or otherwise led on all these issues in a way that defends Texans’ liberties. My record speaks for itself.
— Aaron Reitz's campaign website (November 20, 2025)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
2020
Aaron Reitz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reitz's responses.
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- Preserve Texas's vibrant economic climate through low taxes and light regulations.
- Make our schools and communities safer
- Give our children a first-class education
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Truth Social, "Trump on December 21, 2024," accessed December 23, 2024
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on December 26, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with Reitz for Texas Campaign Manager Josh Siegel," September 11, 2025
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
