2 weeks Ago By Andrew Schneider
With Ken Paxton running for the U.S. Senate , the race is on to become the next Texas attorney general.
State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston has made a strong start in his bid for the Republican nomination, according to multiple political analysts. Middleton declared his candidacy on Tuesday, making him the second to declare after former U.
S. attorney John Bash. "They’re not quite Ken Paxton clones," said Jon Taylor, chair of the Department of Political Science at Geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, "but they’re most assuredly, are definitely aligned with the social conservatism and the strong, strong conservatism that you find in the Republican Party of Texas right now, the MAGA-linked Republican Party of Texas.
" Political consultant Bill Miller said Middleton has an edge because of his willingness to commit his personal fortune as an oil and gas company owner to the race. "Mayes Middleton is very, very wealthy, and unofficially, he said that he'll put up to $25 million of his own money in the race. I have to say, that's a deterrent for other people getting in the race," Miller said.
"The likelihood of raising that kind of money in a primary race for AG, you know, is farfetched. It would be hard to do. And so, I think you'd have to say Middleton looks very, very strong at the moment.
" RELATED: Houston-area lawmaker’s bill banning junk food purchases with SNAP benefits passes Texas Senate Northeast Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes told the Houston Chronicle he is also considering a run. Both Hughes' and Middleton's Senate terms end next year.
Under Texas law, they can either run for attorney general or to keep their Senate seats – but not both at the same time. Thus far, no significant Democratic candidate has emerged to run for state attorney general. "I don’t hear many rumblings at all right now, and I think that’s a problem, because you would think that there’ll at least be some Democrat who would be thinking, ‘OK, maybe so,’ " Taylor said.
The Texas attorney generalship has, for more than 40 years, served as a springboard to run for higher office. Democrat Mark White held the office from 1973-83 before winning the governorship. Republican John Cornyn held the post from 1999-2002 before winning the Senate seat then held by Phil Gramm.
And Republican Greg Abbott held the office from 2002-15 before winning the governorship. Paxton, the current attorney general, is vacating his office to challenge Cornyn for the Republican Senate nomination in 2026. "It’s an office that obviously garners a lot of political attention, particularly in its role, at least in Texas’ case, in its role in fighting the federal government or fighting for the interest of Texas," Taylor said.
"What will be interesting is that this race will not have the baggage of Ken Paxton, an indictment that’s looming, or an impeachment that just happened." Paxton has spent much of his two-and-a-half terms under legal clouds. He was impeached by the Texas House and suspended from office in 2023 on charges of bribery and abuse of office, among other offenses, but was acquitted by the Texas Senate that same year.
Paxton also faced state securities fraud charges and a federal corruption investigation, as well as a state bar investigation related to his role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
All were ultimately dropped. The 2026 attorney general's race will be the first open contest for the post since 2014. "This is a case where, unless something weird happens, and no offense to Democrats, whoever wins the Republican nomination is going to win the election in '26," Taylor said.
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