U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) announced late last week that he is entering the Republican primary for Texas Attorney General, instantly shaking up a race that already had three contenders vying for the position being vacated by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is hoping to retire John Cornyn from the U.S. Senate.
The now crowded field began in April when Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) became the first candidate to declare.
In June, he was joined by Aaron Reitz, a former senior official in the Trump Department of Justice and longtime aide to Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), the Texas Senate’s lead budget writer.
Now, with Roy’s entry, the race has its fourth candidate — who is instantly positioned to capture conservative grassroots energy statewide with strong name recognition and conservative credentials.
Roy & Reitz Energized by Grassroots Support
Campaign finance reports filed in July, prior to Roy’s announcement, showed Reitz dominating the money race with more than $2 million raised and more donors than Huffman and Middleton combined.
But Middleton pledged to self-fund his campaign with at least $10 million, giving his campaign a much needed financial advantage, prompting criticism by Reitz for being a “spoiled rich kid.”
Reitz has leaned heavily into his alliance with President Donald Trump, proudly calling himself “the MAGA attorney in the race.” President Trump has not yet weighed in on the race.
Prior to Roy joining the fray, a Texas Southern University poll conducted with political scientist Mark P. Jones showed a race that was wide open.
As of July, 73 percent of Republican voters remained undecided, with Huffman leading at 12 percent, Middleton at 8 percent, and Reitz at 7 percent.
But Chip Roy enters with immediate name recognition, a national fundraising network, and an early endorsement from Gun Owners of America (GOA).
Roy’s campaign got an additional boost on Saturday when Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed him, calling Roy “a battle-tested warrior” and “no one better” for the job.
Notably, both Roy and Reitz previously served as Cruz’s chief of staff and worked under Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Before Roy entered the race, Paxton declared he would not endorse anyone to be his successor. But, shortly after Roy entered the race, he swifly endorsed Reitz.
Intra-Party Drama
Roy’s announcement came amid rumors that Reitz might drop out to pursue Roy’s congressional seat, a move some grassroots conservatives hoped would prevent a bruising fight between two top conservative candidates.
“It’s unfortunate we have two battle tested warriors running against each other” Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights stated. “Chip has for years been one of the most outspoken pro-gun champions in D.C., and Reitz led a lot of the legal efforts to protect our Second Amendment rights while working in Paxton’s office as Deputy AG. This will be a bloody primary.”
But Reitz quickly shut down speculation of dropping out with a fiery post on X, blasting his opponents and borrowing from The Wolf of Wall Street to declare he was “not leaving.”
Gun Rights A Top Theme
With a crowded field, the 2026 Attorney General race is shaping up to be the most competitive Republican primary Texas has seen in years.
Guns are already a defining issue: Roy, Reitz, and Middleton are openly courting the backing of state and national gun rights organizations.
“Mayes Middleton, Aaron Reitz, and Chip Roy have all returned their Texas Gun Rights candidate surveys 100 percent pro-gun” McNutt said.
“Senator Joan Huffman, however, has long been considered one of the major thorns in the side of gun owners in the Texas Senate.” he continued. “She didn’t want to pass open carry. She didn’t want to pass campus carry. She didn’t want to pass Constitutional Carry. And she successfully fought to water those bills down before passage became inevitable.”
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