Attorney General

Statewide

Open seat (Paxton left to run for Senate). Republican state senator Mayes Middleton won the May 26 runoff 55.2% over Chip Roy; Democratic state senator Nathan Johnson won his runoff 60.5% over Joe Jaworski. No major handicapper rates the race; the rating reflects Texas's structural lean for an open down-ballot statewide office.

Primary, Mar 3, 2026GOP runoff likelyDem runoff likely

Texas's chief legal officer, enforces state law, represents Texas in lawsuits, issues legal opinions for state agencies.

Runoff result

Attorney General

Primary Runoff

Called

Republican Primary

NBC News / Decision Desk HQMayes Middleton wins

Mayes Middleton

55.2%

755,593 votes

Chip Roy

44.8%

612,171 votes

Democratic Primary

Fox 26 HoustonNathan Johnson wins

Nathan Johnson

60.5%

332,257 votes

Joe Jaworski

39.5%

216,849 votes

Updated May 27, 10:33 PM CT·TX SOS

March primary result

Attorney General

Primary Results

Called · 100% reporting

Both parties advance to runoff

Republican Primary

Mayes Middleton

39.1%

808,719 votes

Advancing to runoff

Chip Roy

31.6%

653,379 votes

Advancing to runoff

Joan Huffman

15.1%

312,177 votes

Aaron Reitz

14.2%

293,174 votes

Democratic Primary

Nathan Johnson

48.1%

1,000,586 votes

Advancing to runoff

Joe Jaworski

26.4%

549,663 votes

Advancing to runoff

Tony Box

25.5%

529,416 votes

Both nominees decided in the May 26 runoff.

Updated Mar 15, 7:01 PM CT·TX SOS·Called by AP

Polls vs. Results

Republican Primary

Democratic Primary

Biggest miss: Tony Box, polls were off by 15.5 points

Source:UT Tyler, UT Texas Politics Project, TX Secretary of State

Prediction vs. reality, poll predictions compared to actual results
Candidate	Party	Poll prediction (%)	Actual result (%)	Difference
Mayes Middleton	Republican	26%	39.1%	+13.1
Chip Roy	Republican	36%	31.6%	-4.4
Joan Huffman	Republican	21%	15.1%	-5.9
Aaron Reitz	Republican	5%	14.2%	+9.2
Nathan Johnson	Democratic	35%	48.1%	+13.1
Joe Jaworski	Democratic	32%	26.4%	-5.6
Tony Box	Democratic	10%	25.5%	+15.5

November General Election

Nov 3, 2026

Rated Likely RepublicanTexPolls, based on structural partisan lean

No major handicapper rates Texas down-ballot statewide races. This open seat (Paxton left to run for Senate) pits two sitting state senators, Mayes Middleton (R) and Nathan Johnson (D); an open seat carries more uncertainty than an incumbent defense. No Democrat has won the Texas attorney general race since Dan Morales's reelection in 1994, and Republicans have held the office since 1999. The rating reflects structural lean, not a forecast.

TexPolls, based on structural partisan lean

Attorney General

GOP Runoff

Runoff Watch

Mayes Middleton

48%

Chip Roy

39%

GOP Runoff polling
Candidate	Support
Mayes Middleton	48%
Chip Roy	39%

Primary Polls

GOP Primary

Runoff Watch

Chip Roy

36%

Mayes Middleton

26%

Joan Huffman

21%

Aaron Reitz

GOP Primary polling
Candidate	Support
Chip Roy	36%
Mayes Middleton	26%
Joan Huffman	21%
Aaron Reitz	5%

Dem Primary

Runoff Watch

Nathan Johnson

35%

Joe Jaworski

32%

Tony Box

10%

Dem Primary polling
Candidate	Support
Nathan Johnson	35%
Joe Jaworski	32%
Tony Box	10%

Source:UH Hobby School of Public Affairs, UT Tyler, UT Texas Politics Project, UH Hobby School·Polls conducted Jan 2026–May 2026

Republican Primary · Poll Movement

Feb → Feb

Republican primary poll trend
Candidate	Feb	Feb	Change
Chip Roy	40%	36%	-4
Mayes Middleton	38%	26%	-12
Joan Huffman	9%	21%	+12
Aaron Reitz	6%	5%	-1

Source:UT Texas Politics Project, UT Tyler, UH Hobby School

Democratic Primary · Poll Movement

Feb → Feb

Democratic primary poll trend
Candidate	Feb	Feb	Change
Nathan Johnson	28%	35%	+7
Joe Jaworski	52%	32%	-20
Tony Box	13%	10%	-3

Source:UT Texas Politics Project, UT Tyler, UH Hobby School

Campaign Finance

FEC filings through 2026-05-24

Mayes Middleton$10.0M

Spent: N/ACash: N/A

Self-funded $10M of his own money into AG race

Joan Huffman$764K

Spent: N/ACash: $3.0M

Cash on hand includes prior campaign war chest

Campaign finance data for candidates
Candidate	Party	Total Raised	Total Spent	Cash on Hand
Mayes Middleton	Republican	$10,000,000	Not available	Not available
Joan Huffman	Republican	$764,000	Not available	$3,000,000

SourcesFEC / Texas Ethics Commission

Endorsement Tracker

Republican runoff endorsements

Mayes Middleton(4)

Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX)Notable

Endorses Mayes Middleton

Texas ValuesNotable

Endorses Mayes Middleton

Riley Gaines

Endorses Mayes Middleton

Swimmer and activist

Lt. Gov. Dan PatrickKey

Endorses Mayes Middleton · May 4

Patrick said Middleton has "established a record as one of the most conservative senators in Texas history." Middleton serves in the Senate Patrick presides over.

Chip Roy(1)

Sen. Ted CruzKey

Endorses Chip Roy · Jul 31

Roy is Cruz's former chief of staff

Pending

Donald TrumpKey

Pending, Has not endorsed in the AG runoff

Ken PaxtonKey

Pending, Endorsed Reitz in the primary. Reported in leaked audio (Texas Bullpen) to favor Middleton and to oppose Roy, his former top deputy, but has made no formal public endorsement.

Source:Texas Tribune·Campaign announcements, media reports

Endorsement Tracker

Democratic runoff endorsements

Nathan Johnson(5)

Texas AFL-CIO COPEKey

Endorses Nathan Johnson

Dallas Morning NewsNotable

Endorses Nathan Johnson

Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX)Notable

Endorses Nathan Johnson

U.S. Representative, TX-33

Sen. Royce WestNotable

Endorses Nathan Johnson

Texas State Senator

Sen. Sarah Eckhardt

Endorses Nathan Johnson

Texas State Senator

Joe Jaworski(4)

Fmr. Mayor Annise ParkerNotable

Endorses Joe Jaworski

Former Houston mayor

Rep. Ann Johnson

Endorses Joe Jaworski

Texas State Representative

Rep. Gene WuNotable

Endorses Joe Jaworski

TX House Dem Caucus chair

Fmr. Rep. Nick Lampson

Endorses Joe Jaworski

Former U.S. Representative

Source:Texas Tribune·Campaign announcements, media reports

Frequently Asked

Who is running for Texas Attorney General in 2026?

Republican state senator Mayes Middleton faces Democratic state senator Nathan Johnson in the November 3, 2026 general election. The seat is open because Ken Paxton ran for U.S. Senate instead of seeking re-election.

How were the 2026 Texas Attorney General nominees decided?

Middleton won the May 26, 2026 Republican runoff 55.2% to 44.8% over U.S. Representative Chip Roy. Nathan Johnson won the Democratic runoff 60.5% to 39.5% over former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski.

When is the 2026 Texas Attorney General election?

The general election is November 3, 2026, with a voter registration deadline of October 5.

What is the Texas Attorney General responsible for?

The Texas AG is the chief legal officer of the state: representing Texas in litigation, issuing legal opinions to state agencies, enforcing consumer-protection law, prosecuting Medicaid fraud, and leading multi-state lawsuits against federal policy. The office also runs child-support enforcement, its largest function by staff.