Nathan Johnson (Texas)
Nathan Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 16. He assumed office on January 8, 2019. His current term ends on January 9, 2029.
Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Texas. He was on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Nathan Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Arizona and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. His career experience includes working as a litigator and mediator at Thompson Coburn LLP and composing musical scores for the TV show Dragon Ball Z.[1]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Johnson was assigned to the following committees:
- Administration Committee
- Business & Commerce Committee
- Committee of the Whole Senate
- Jurisprudence Committee, Vice Chair
- Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs Committee
2021-2022
Johnson was assigned to the following committees:
- Administration Committee, Vice chair
- Business & Commerce Committee
- Jurisprudence Committee
- Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs Committee
2019-2020
Johnson was assigned to the following committees:
- Administration Committee
- Health & Human Services Committee
- Veteran Affairs & Border Security Committee
- Water and Rural Affairs Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
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.
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. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas
Tony Box (D), Joe Jaworski (D), and Nathan Johnson (D) ran in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Tony Box | |
 | 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. | ||||
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. | ||||
Endorsements
Johnson received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Johnson's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2024
See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Texas State Senate District 16
Incumbent Nathan Johnson won election in the general election for Texas State Senate District 16 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson (D) | 100.0 | 187,557 |
| Total votes: 187,557 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 16
Incumbent Nathan Johnson defeated Victoria Neave Criado in the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 16 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson | 59.2 | 19,734 |
 | Victoria Neave Criado | 40.8 | 13,604 | |
| Total votes: 33,338 | |||
| = 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
Endorsements
Johnson received the following endorsements.
2022
See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Texas State Senate District 16
Incumbent Nathan Johnson defeated Brandon Copeland in the general election for Texas State Senate District 16 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson (D) | 61.9 | 118,663 |
 | Brandon Copeland (R) | 38.1 | 72,885 | |
| Total votes: 191,548 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 16
Incumbent Nathan Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 16 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson | 100.0 | 31,323 |
| Total votes: 31,323 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 16
Brandon Copeland advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 16 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brandon Copeland | 100.0 | 21,587 |
| Total votes: 21,587 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 16
No candidate advanced from the convention.
Candidate | ||
 | Ed Rankin (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
2018
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Texas State Senate District 16
Nathan Johnson defeated incumbent Donald Huffines in the general election for Texas State Senate District 16 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson (D) | 54.1 | 159,228 |
 | Donald Huffines (R) | 45.9 | 134,933 | |
| Total votes: 294,161 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 16
Nathan Johnson defeated Joe Bogen in the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 16 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nathan Johnson | 69.6 | 25,330 |
| Joe Bogen | 30.4 | 11,068 | ||
| Total votes: 36,398 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 16
Incumbent Donald Huffines advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 16 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Donald Huffines | 100.0 | 30,311 |
| Total votes: 30,311 | |||
| = 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 themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nathan Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses.
| Collapse all
- I’m running to make the OAG run as it should. The OAG should perform the basics well: child support, oversight of various programs (including veterans), advising agencies and the Legislature. It should and must investigate and prosecute corruption instead of participating in it, enforce competition laws in the marketplace, and work with district and county attorneys instead of against them to keep communities safe. It should defend the state and individuals against the lawless infliction of damage by the Trump administration, in concert with Democratic attorneys general across the country. And under my leadership, it will.
- As state senator, I have passed 135 bills, including legislation to increase penalties on polluters, protect consumers from AI scams and invasions of data privacy, throttle corporate scheming of tax breaks. I have also advanced legislation to reverse the regressive policies that undermine our rights, and battled the legislation that forms the basis of Ken Paxton’s headline machine. I’ve been on the frontline of virtually every Democratic battle, while also passing important legislation.
- My experience in the Senate has given me a deeper awareness of how the laws we pass often depart from basic legal principles and the Constitution, and how they often produce unjust consequences. Our legal and constitutional frameworks – enshrining rights and process – are monuments of progress, and as Attorney General, I will not let anyone tear them down.
My “Texas Power Promise” passed accomplishing two aims: first: requires the PUC to develop and finance a $1.8B program to provide sustained emergency power for critical community facilities; second: direct electrical utilities to find and report on ways to better manage future power outages.
Organization endorsements include the Houston LGBT Caucus, Asian Texans for Justice, Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, and ACC Student Democrats.
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
Johnson's campaign website stated the following:
As your Attorney General I will:
Stop the MAGA Assault and Restore the AG’s Office to Its True PurposeWhile Ken Paxton has turned the OAG into a right-wing headline machine, trampling individual rights and freedoms in order to promote the radical MAGA agenda, the Republicans who want to take his place pledge more of the same: more of whatever Trump and Abbott tell them to do. As your next Attorney General, I will use the power of the Office to defend – and where possible restore – the individual rights and freedoms we have worked so hard to establish, and to uphold the rule of law and honor the Constitution. I will join Democratic AGs from across the country to take Trump to court to block the MAGA machine’s illegal actions that are harming the economy, tearing apart communities, and eroding the foundations of our democracy.
Protect Consumers and Make Life More AffordableTexas has laws to protect consumers and promote competition among businesses. As Attorney General, I’ll enforce them. Good businesses will welcome a fair and competitive marketplace that respects the rights and serves the needs of consumers. Bad businesses – those who engage in price gouging, consumer scams, and unfair competition – will learn the rules the hard way. Republicans have demonstrated time and time again that they care more about the donor monopolists who fund their campaigns than about consumers, small businesses and entrepreneurs. As your Attorney General, I will serve as an independent champion for Texas consumers and businesses that want to compete in a market that isn’t rigged against them.
Do the Basics – WellFrom collecting child support, to issuing legal opinions that clarify the law and help government run efficiently, to working with city and county governments to finance infrastructure, to ensuring government transparency, good government depends on good people in the Office of Attorney General. Running a MAGA headline machine makes is hard to recruit the best people. Under my leadership people who come to work at the AG’s will care about the people they serve, and will wake up every day feeling good about the service they provide.
Root Out Political CorruptionWhether it’s the impeachment of Ken Paxton or of Donald Trump, the Republicans vying to replace the corrupt Ken Paxton have shown that they lack the courage and independence to do what’s right. They only pretend to respect the law. When push comes to shove, they follow the orders of party bosses, right-wing PACs, and billionaire donors, and Trump himself. We can’t count on a “Ken Paxton 2.0” to objectively police political corruption. I will be an independent Attorney General who will investigate and prosecute officials – irrespective of political party – not for revenge or persecution, but to preserve the integrity of public service.
Fight Crime and Promote Public SafetyState Attorneys General play a key role in fighting all types of crime. In Texas, the Attorney General’s powers of prosecution are more specific than general. The Texas AG can directly prosecute cases of identity theft, cybercrime, Medicaid fraud, and in some instances human trafficking. But in Texas, primary prosecutorial authority in criminal matters lies with local district attorneys, with the AG playing an important but supportive role in cooperation with the DAs. AG Ken Paxton’s antagonistic approach to district attorneys diverts resources away from prosecuting criminals to dealing with red tape. As Attorney General for this state, I’ll bring the powers of the office to bear on public safety by working with our district attorneys to keep Texans and their property safe.
Maintain a Secure Border and State SovereigntyThe Texas border is 1,254 miles long. We need it to be secure, and safe from drug smuggling, human trafficking, and all forms of cross-border criminal enterprise. But, as Americans, we should reject “shock and awe” border policy and tactics that violate the U.S. Constitution. We should reject policy and tactics that damage our sense of decency and fracture our communities. We should refuse to surrender state sovereignty to the federal government. We should not divert vital resources away from public safety to score political points. The Attorney General has a role to play in assuring all of this: assisting with federal enforcement as appropriate, and blocking federal actions when they go too far.
— Nathan Johnson's campaign website (January 13, 2026)
2024
Nathan Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
In 2024, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2023.
- Sierra Club Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The Institute for Legislative Analysis — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2021.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Sierra Club Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Texas State Legislature in 2019.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Environment Texas — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues.
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Texas Eagle Forum — Legislators are scored based on votes relating to conservative issues.
- Texas Right to Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Texas Values Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Attorney General of Texas |
Officeholder Texas State Senate District 16 |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Donald Huffines (R) |
Texas State Senate District 16 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
