Texas Attorney General election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)

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Texas Attorney General
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Election details
	Filing deadline: December 8, 2025
	Primary: March 3, 2026; Primary runoff: May 26, 2026; General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in Texas
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Joan Huffman (R), Mayes Middleton (R), Aaron Reitz (R), and Chip Roy (R) are running in the Republican primary election for Texas Attorney General on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025.

Incumbent Ken Paxton (R) is running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2026.

The Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum and Eleanor Klibanoff wrote that "[as] the biggest attorney general's office in a red state, Texas' top lawyer serves an outsized role in the conservative legal movement."^[1] Birenbaum also said the race will likely be characterized by candidates "position[ing] themselves as the ideological heirs to Paxton’s conservative legal movement, which has put Texas at the forefront of high-profile cases on religious liberty, abortion and election law."^[2]

Huffman was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2008. She previously worked as a prosecutor and a judge.^[3] Huffman is campaigning on her legal experience, saying she has worked to "[uphold] the rule of law and [protect] our families."^[3] She is also campaigning on her support of law enforcement and public safety, highlighting legislation she wrote that increased penalties for violent crimes, targeted drug trafficking, and funded border security.^[3] The Houston Police Officers Union and Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association endorsed Huffman.^[4]

Middleton was elected to the state Senate in 2023 and served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023. He is an attorney and president of an oil company.^[5] Middleton is campaigning on his support for President Donald Trump’s (R) agenda, calling himself "a steadfast ally of President Trump and a proven champion of the America First movement."^[5] Middleton says he would focus on public safety and would “fight to secure the border, ensure law and order, and be tough on crime."^[6] U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) endorsed Middleton.^[7]

Reitz is an attorney who served as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy in the U.S. Department of Justice from March to June 2025, and he previously served as Texas’ Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy under Paxton.^[8]^[9] Reitz is campaigning on his support of Paxton, saying, "Under Ken Paxton, Texas has been a shining example for the conservative movement on how to fight and win against the enemies of Law, Order, and Liberty."^[2] He is also campaigning on his support of and connection to Trump, saying he would "ensure the full weight of the Office of the Attorney General is behind President Trump and his agenda," and noting that Trump called him "a true MAGA attorney."^[10]^[11] Paxton endorsed Reitz.^[2]

Roy was elected to the U.S. House in 2019. He previously served as Texas’ First Assistant Attorney General under Paxton.^[12] Roy is campaigning on his support of Paxton’s legal approach, saying, "[Paxton] and his team have done a great job fighting to defend Texas … We’re going to continue that legacy going forward."^[1] Highlighting his legislative career, Roy says he has experience with border security, supporting law enforcement, and combating election fraud.^[13] U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) endorsed Roy.^[2]

Aaron Reitz (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

This page focuses on Texas' Republican Party Attorney General primary. For more in-depth information on Texas' Democratic Attorney General primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Recent updates

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election, such as debates, polls, and noteworthy endorsements. Know of something we missed? Let us know.

October 8, 2025
The University of Houston and Texas Southern University released a poll showing Roy receiving 40% of the vote to Huffman's 12%, Reitz's 8%, and Middleton's 3%. The margin of error was ± 4.1.^[17]
September 17, 2025
co/efficient released a poll of 473 likely voters, showing Roy receiving 24% of the vote to Huffman's 8%, Reitz's 7%, and Middleton's 4%. The margin of error was ± 4.5.^[16]
September 12, 2025
Pulse Decision Science released a poll of 800 likely voters, showing Roy receiving 38% of the vote to Huffman's 4%, Middleton's 4%, and Reitz's 3%. The margin of error was ± 3.5.^[15]

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Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas

Joan Huffman, Mayes Middleton, Aaron Reitz, and Chip Roy are running in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Joan Huffman
		Mayes Middleton
		Aaron Reitz
		Chip Roy

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Texas

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Joan Huffman

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Texas State Senate, District 17 (Assumed office: 2008)

Biography: Huffman received a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from South Texas School of Law. She previously worked as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and served as a judge in Harris County.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Huffman highlighted her legal experience and said she "[upheld] the rule of law and [protected] our families." She also said she worked to "strengthen the criminal justice system and bring transparency and accountability to the judiciary."

On public safety, Huffman called herself a "tireless supporter of our law enforcement officers" and said she worked to fund law enforcement, pass bail reform legislation, and increase penalties for violent crimes during her legislative career.

Huffman said she would support border security, noting that she "appropriated billions of dollars toward Operation Lone Star to help our state address the massive surge of illegal immigrants." She said, "[T]here is still work to be done as dangerous individuals and narcotics continue to illegally cross our vast southern border."

Huffman highlighted her legislative career as displaying her priorities, saying she passed legislation that improved election security, lowered taxes, and cut spending.

Show sources

Sources: Joan Huffman 2026 campaign website, "About," accessed October 14, 2025; Joan Huffman 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 14, 2025; Texas Senate, "Senator Joan Huffman: District 17," accessed October 14, 2025

Mayes Middleton

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Texas State Senate, District 11 (Assumed office: 2023)
Texas House of Representatives, District 23 (2019-2023)

Biography: Middleton received a bachelor’s degree and J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. At the time of the election, he was an attorney, worked as the president of an oil company, and operated ranches and farms.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Middleton said his record supported President Donald Trump’s agenda and said he was "a steadfast ally of President Trump and a proven champion of the America First movement."

On public safety, Middleton said he would prioritize border security and prosecuting violent crimes. Middleton said he would "arrest and deport dangerous, violent criminals who have entered our country illegally."

Middleton said he would support taxpayers and consumers by "[enforcing] the open records act so it’s easy for taxpayers to know how their dollars are spent" and "[suing] corporations for deceptive trade practices."

Middleton said he would focus on election security by enforcing current election laws and "[ensuring] only legally qualified U.S. citizen voters vote in our Texas elections."

Show sources

Sources: Mayes Middleton 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 14, 2025; Mayes Middleton 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 14, 2025; Texas Senate, "Senator Mayes Middleton: District 11," accessed October 14, 2025

Aaron Reitz

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I’m a Christian, husband, father of four, U.S. Marine, and lifelong conservative fighter who has spent my career on the front lines of lawfare combat. I married my high school sweetheart, and together we’re raising our family in Central Texas. I joined the Marine Corps out of a deep sense of duty, serving in Afghanistan and swearing an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic—a promise I’ve carried with me into every role since. 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."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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.

Chip Roy

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

U.S. House of Representatives, Texas District 21 (Assumed office: 2019)

Biography: Roy received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Virginia, as well as a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He previously worked as a prosecutor and political advisor to statewide and national politicians, and he previously served as Texas’ First Assistant Attorney General.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Roy said his legal experience in the Office of Attorney General qualified him for the office, saying, "I’ve prosecuted criminals and had law enforcement’s back."

On public safety, Roy said he would "defend Texas families, secure our communities, and preserve the Lone Star State’s legacy of freedom."

Roy highlighted his legislative career as displaying his priorities, saying he passed legislation that increased border security, supported law enforcement, and promoted election security.

Roy said he would focus on supporting the legal rights of Texans’, saying that he has "[put] Texans above corporate cronyism and global interests" during his legislative career.

Show sources

Sources: Chip Roy 2026 campaign website, "Meet Chip," accessed October 14, 2025; YouTube, "I'm Running for Attorney General of Texas," October 13, 2025; Chip Roy 2026 campaign website, "Meet Chip," accessed October 14, 2025; Representative Chip Roy, "About," accessed October 14, 2025

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Republican primary endorsements
Endorser	Mayes Middleton	Aaron Reitz	Chip Roy
Government officials
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) ^source			✔
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R) ^source			✔
U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R) ^source	✔
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) ^source			✔
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) ^source			✔
U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R) ^source	✔
U.S. Rep. Keith Self (R) ^source			✔
U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R) ^source	✔
Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian (R) ^source	✔
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) ^source		✔
Texas Railroad Commissioner James Wright (R) ^source	✔
Individuals
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Royce Albrecht ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Christin Bentley ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Bruce Bishop ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Scott Bowen ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Chuck Burnett ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Tisha Crow ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Gaylyn Devine ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Brenda Estis ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Steve Evans ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Jerry Fisher ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Ralph Fite ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Susan Fountain ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Rolando Garcia ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Dale Gibble ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Paul Hale ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Brandon Hodges ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Dale Inman ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Deborah Kelting Fite ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Jon Ker ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Roman Klein ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Melissa Knerr ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Jeneria Lewis ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Dawn McDonald ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Ken Moore ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Milinda Morris ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Matthew Patrick ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Kelly Perry ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Randy Purham ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Jeremy Story ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Adolpho Telles ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Rhonda Ward ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Walter West ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Gwen Withrow ^source	✔
Texas State Republican Executive Committee member Ed Zenner ^source	✔
Organizations
National Border Patrol Council ^source		✔
The Remembrance Project Action ^source		✔

Poll	Dates	Huffman	Middleton	Reitz	Roy	Undecided	Sample size	Margin of error	Sponsor
University of Houston and Texas Southern University	Sept. 19, 2025–Oct. 1, 2025	12	3	8	40	37	576 LV	± 4.1%	N/A
Pulse Decision Science	Aug. 27, 2025–Aug. 30, 2025	4	4	3	38	50	800 LV	± 3.5%	Texans for Chip Roy
co/efficient	Aug. 16, 2025–Aug. 17, 2025	8	4	7	24	58	473 LV	± 4.5%	Aaron Reitz for Attorney General
Texas Southern University	Aug. 6, 2025–Aug. 12, 2025	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.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ken Paxton (R)	53.4	4,278,986
	Rochelle Garza (D)	43.7	3,497,267
	Mark Ash (L)	2.9	233,750

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,010,003
= 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.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rochelle Garza	62.7	305,168
	Joe Jaworski	37.3	181,744

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 486,912
= 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.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ken Paxton	68.0	633,223
	George P. Bush	32.0	298,577

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 931,800
= 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.

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,019,699
= 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.

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,927,457
= 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.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rochelle Garza	43.0	438,134
✔		Joe Jaworski	19.8	202,140
		Lee Merritt	19.4	198,108
		Mike Fields	12.3	125,373
	Submit photo	S. T-Bone Raynor	5.5	55,944

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ken Paxton	42.7	823,199
✔	George P. Bush	22.8	439,240
	Eva Guzman	17.5	337,761
	Louis B. Gohmert Jr.	17.0	327,257

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ken Paxton (R)	50.6	4,193,207
		Justin Nelson (D)	47.0	3,898,098
	Submit photo	Michael Ray Harris (L)	2.4	201,310

		Candidate
✔		Justin Nelson

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,292,615 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 261
= 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.

Attorney General of Texas, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ken Paxton	58.8%	2,742,646
	Democrat	Sam Houston	38%	1,773,108
	Libertarian	Jamie Balagia	2.5%	118,186
	Green	Jamar Osborne	0.6%	29,590
Total Votes				4,663,530
Election results via Texas Secretary of State

Filing requirements for Texas attorney general candidates, 2026
Partisan affiliation	Method	Filing fee	Signatures required	Filing deadline	Source
Party-affiliated	Filing fee	$3,750.00	N/A	12/8/2025	1, 2
Party-affiliated	Petition	N/A	5,000		1, 2
Unaffiliated		N/A	81,030^[23]		1
Write-in		N/A	5,000	8/17/2026	1
Write-in	Filing fee	$3,750.00	N/A	8/17/2026	1

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Texas Attorney General election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)

Recent updates

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas

Voting information

Candidate profiles

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Campaign advertisements

Joan Huffman

Mayes Middleton

Aaron Reitz

Chip Roy

Debates and forums

Noteworthy endorsements

Polls

Campaign finance

Candidate spending

Satellite spending

Election analysis

Election history

Texas Attorney General election history

2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Texas

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas

2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Texas

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas

2014

Earlier results

Ballot access requirements

2026 battleground elections

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