Attorney General
StatewideMayes Middleton (R) faces Nathan Johnson (D) for Attorney General on November 3, 2026.
Nathan Johnson vs. Mayes MiddletonOn the November 3 ballot
Also on the ballot: Tom Oxford (Libertarian)
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. Sabato's Crystal Ball moved the race from Safe to Likely Republican on Aug 20, 2026, the first major handicapper to rate it.
Texas's chief legal officer, enforces state law, represents Texas in lawsuits, issues legal opinions for state agencies.
November General Election
Nov 3, 2026Sabato's Crystal Ball rates the race Likely Republican, moved from Safe Republican on Aug 20, 2026, citing Abbott's polling softness and the possibility that a bad year for Texas Republicans reaches down the ballot; it is the first major handicapper to rate the race. This open seat (Paxton left to run for Senate) pits two sitting state senators, Mayes Middleton (R) and Nathan Johnson (D). ReconMR/Siena surveyed likely voters September 8-11 and reported Middleton at 45% and Johnson at 44%, with 8% undecided or refusing to answer. See the polling table for the original release and methodology. No Democrat has won the Texas attorney general race since Dan Morales's reelection in 1994, and Republicans have held the office since 1999.
November polling
Scroll across to compare candidates and reported gaps.
| Pollster | Date | Sample | Middleton | Johnson | Undec. | Reported gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratus IntelligencePolitical sponsor · excluded from average | Sep 24, 2026 | 865 LV±3.5 MOE | 47% | 42% | 11% | Middleton +5 |
Methodology and source notes: Stratus Intelligence, Sep 24, 2026Stratus Intelligence memo, fielded September 22 to 24, 2026 among 865 likely voters; 81% SMS-to-web and 19% live phone; ±3.5 points. The memo names no sponsor and publishes neither question wording nor weighting. Breitbart (September 29) and the Wikipedia Senate-race listing report the poll was conducted for Texans for a Conservative Majority. Sponsored poll, shown with the sponsor disclosed and excluded from the headline average. Undecided 11%. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| Texas Public Opinion ResearchPolitical sponsor · excluded from average | Sep 22, 2026 | 1,007 LV±3.6 MOE | 43% | 40% | 15% | Middleton +3 |
Methodology and source notes: Texas Public Opinion Research, Sep 22, 2026Fielded September 19-22, 2026, via an online panel; n=1,007 likely voters, margin of error ±3.6 points; weighted by gender, age, race, education, 2024 vote recall, and geography. Initial ballot: Libertarian Tom Oxford 2%, would not vote 1%, undecided 15%. With the follow-up asked of undecided respondents, the published result with leaners is Middleton 46%, Johnson 43%. TPOR describes itself as a nonpartisan polling initiative and names no external commissioner. The site's copyright line names Luke Warford, whom the Texas Tribune (June 6, 2024) describes as the Texas Democratic Party's former chief strategy officer. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| Texas Southern University | Sep 19, 2026 | 1,800 LV±2.31 MOE | 47% | 42% | 9% | Middleton +5 |
Methodology and source notes: Texas Southern University, Sep 19, 2026Fielded September 15-19, 2026. The Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at TSU reports a probability-based sample of 1,800 likely voters, ±2.31-point margin of error, contacted by SMS and directed to an online survey in English or Spanish, with a two-part likely-voter screen supplemented by past election participation. The report does not name an outside sponsor. Three-way ballot naming Libertarian Tom Oxford (2%); 9% unsure; no leaned follow-up described. The report describes its sampling and survey method but not its weighting; the site’s transparency rule requires methodology, sample size, margin of error, and a public source, which this report meets, the same as TSU’s statewide rows. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| ReconMR / Siena Research Institute | Sep 11, 2026 | 614 LV±4.3 MOE | 45% | 44% | 8% | Middleton +1 |
Methodology and source notes: ReconMR / Siena Research Institute, Sep 11, 2026Fielded September 8-11, 2026. ReconMR/Siena's nonpartisan Texas Poll. Prompt named only Middleton and Johnson; 2% chose someone else, 1% would not vote, and 8% did not know or refused. Tom Oxford was an unprompted open-end response rounded to 0%. Mixed live telephone and text-to-web voter-file sample; telephone interviews in English and Spanish. MOE includes design effects. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| Texas Public Opinion ResearchPolitical sponsor · excluded from average | Aug 24, 2026 | 1,000 LV±3.3 MOE | 44% | 41% | — | Middleton +3 |
Methodology and source notes: Texas Public Opinion Research, Aug 24, 2026TPOR director Luke Warford is a Democratic strategist. Ballot named Libertarian Tom Oxford at 1% and independent Omer Khwaja at 1%. Fielded before the Aug 28 ballot certification; the ballot test named independent Omer Khwaja, who did not qualify for the November ballot. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| UT Texas Politics Project | Aug 13, 2026 | 1,200 RV±2.83 MOE | 40% | 35% | — | Middleton +5 |
Methodology and source notes: UT Texas Politics Project, Aug 13, 2026Ballot named Libertarian Tom Oxford at 3%. Registered voters, not likely voters. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| Texas Southern University | Jul 30, 2026 | 1,200 LV±2.83 MOE | 46% | 41% | — | Middleton +5 |
Methodology and source notes: Texas Southern University, Jul 30, 2026Three-way ballot incl. Tom Oxford (L) 3%; 10% undecided. 77% of likely voters did not know enough about Johnson to rate him. Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center; SMS-to-web, fielded Jul 27-30, coauthored by Rice's Mark P. Jones. Sampling frame and weighting variables are not disclosed in the report. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| Texas Pulse / ReconMR | Jul 30, 2026 | 619 LV±4.7 MOE | 46% | 44% | — | Middleton +2 |
Methodology and source notes: Texas Pulse / ReconMR, Jul 30, 2026Texas A&M Bush School consortium, fielded Jul 27-30, released Aug 7. MOE is the core-question figure (n=619); two-way ballot. Middleton led 45-40 in the June wave. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
| Texas Public Opinion ResearchPolitical sponsor · excluded from average | Jul 17, 2026 | 1,048 LV±3.4 MOE | 39% | 38% | — | Middleton +1 |
Methodology and source notes: Texas Public Opinion Research, Jul 17, 2026TPOR director Luke Warford is a Democratic strategist; conducted with Lake Research Partners. 18% undecided. Original poll release (opens in new tab) | ||||||
Each row is one poll, shown as reported. Headline cards separately average eligible independent likely-voter polls; see the methodology page. The reported gap is the difference between candidate percentages, not a finding of a statistically significant lead. An undecided share appears only when explicitly recorded from the source; a dash means it has not been recorded. Independently rounded categories may not sum to 100%. Likely-voter (LV) and registered-voter (RV) samples are not directly comparable.
The November ballot, explained
Texas race coverage by email, only when something changes before Nov 3.
Runoff result
Primary Runoff
March primary result
Primary Results
Polls vs. Results
Republican Primary
Democratic Primary
| Candidate | Party | Poll prediction (%) | Actual result (%) | Difference | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Republican nominee
State Senator, SD-11
Democratic nominee
State Senator, SD-16
Also on the ballot
- Tom OxfordLibertarian
Certified for the November 3 ballot by the Texas Secretary of State, August 28, 2026.
Attorney General
GOP Runoff
Runoff Watch| Candidate | Support |
|---|---|
| Mayes Middleton | 48% |
| Chip Roy | 39% |
Primary Polls
GOP Primary
Runoff Watch| Candidate | Support |
|---|---|
| Chip Roy | 36% |
| Mayes Middleton | 26% |
| Joan Huffman | 21% |
| Aaron Reitz | 5% |
Dem Primary
Runoff Watch| Candidate | Support |
|---|---|
| Nathan Johnson | 35% |
| Joe Jaworski | 32% |
| Tony Box | 10% |
Republican Primary · Poll Movement
Feb → Feb
| Candidate | Feb | Feb | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip Roy | 40% | 36% | -4 |
| Mayes Middleton | 38% | 26% | -12 |
| Joan Huffman | 9% | 21% | +12 |
| Aaron Reitz | 6% | 5% | -1 |
Democratic Primary · Poll Movement
Feb → Feb
| Candidate | Feb | Feb | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Johnson | 28% | 35% | +7 |
| Joe Jaworski | 52% | 32% | -20 |
| Tony Box | 13% | 10% | -3 |
Campaign Finance
Dataset updated Oct 6, 2026Texas Ethics Commission · Cycle totals through Jun 30, 2025
Historical January-June 2025 report for Texans for Joan Huffman, a specific-purpose committee, not her candidate/officeholder account. Raised shows political contributions; cash includes prior balances. Amounts rounded to whole dollars.
Texas Ethics Commission · Cycle totals through Jun 30, 2025
Historical January-June 2025 report. Raised shows political contributions, excluding loans. Outstanding loan principal was $10 million; cash on hand includes loan proceeds. Amounts rounded to whole dollars.
| Candidate | Party | Raised | Spent | Cash on Hand | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joan Huffman | Republican | $763,625 | $112,032 | $3,009,443 | Texas Ethics Commission · Cycle totals through Jun 30, 2025 |
| Mayes Middleton | Republican | $166,308 | $162,073 | $10,252,056 | Texas Ethics Commission · Cycle totals through Jun 30, 2025 |
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.
Who else is on the ballot for Attorney General in 2026?
Beyond the Republican and Democratic nominees, Tom Oxford is the Libertarian candidate. The full November 3 ballot was certified by the Texas Secretary of State on August 28, 2026.