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Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about the candidates running for statewide seats, The Texas Tribune is sharing information about the Republican, Democratic and third-party candidates. For more information on midterms and the voting process, check out our election resources here.

About the elected seat: Texas has one of the largest and most powerful attorney general offices in the country, with more than 4,000 employees and 750 lawyers handling legal affairs that impact everyday Texans’ lives. Those include enforcing child support judgments, stopping waste and fraud in government programs, and investigating deceptive charities, unscrupulous businesses and fraudulent billing. The office defends state agencies and statutes against legal challenges and puts out opinions interpreting state law. For the last decade, Attorney General Ken Paxton has also empowered the agency’s political functions, pursuing conservative causes through the courts.

What’s at stake: President Donald Trump has called Paxton the “greatest attorney general in America” for his record of bringing headline-grabbing conservative litigation. Paxton was the Biden administration’s chief antagonist in the courts, and he led lawsuits against nonprofits, tech companies and big business, testing novel legal theories in friendly courtrooms across the state. As Paxton leaves the office after more than a decade to run for U.S. Senate, the national conservative legal movement wants to keep the agency in GOP hands, while Democrats are hoping to reclaim the state’s largest law firm for the first time in almost three decades.

Vying for the role are Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and Libertarian Tom Oxford. While Republicans have long held the Texas attorney general seat, several polls have Johnson within five points of Middleton.

Candidates at a glance:

State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston.
Campaign photo
Campaign site

Mayes Middleton

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $911,117
  • Raised between Jan. 1-30: $9.8 million

💰 Major donors this year:

  • Himself — Middleton has self-funded his bid, personally accounting for nearly two-thirds of his campaign’s haul this year. Since launching his campaign in 2025, Middleton has poured more than $17 million of his own money into the race.
  • Court Reform Action for Families PAC – $150,000
  • Cody Campbell, Texas Tech Board of Regents chair and co-founder Double Eagle Development – $100,000
  • Texans for Lawsuit Reform – $100,000
  • Don Wasek, owner of Buc-ee’s – $100,000
  • Kelcy Warren, vice chairman of Energy Transfer – $100,000

Experience:

  • State senator since 2023, representing Galveston and surrounding areas
  • State representative from 2019 to 2023
  • President, Middleton Oil Company, a family business
  • Prolific and longtime GOP donor
  • Graduate of the University of Texas School of Law

Political ideology: Middleton is a MAGA conservative who calls himself a “steadfast ally of President Trump and a proven champion of the America First movement.” He says he has “led the charge against radical woke policies like DEI, ESG, Critical Race Theory, and allowing men in women’s sports.”

Policy stances:

  • Says he would aggressively “enforce President Trump’s border security agenda and deportation orders”
  • Says he would uphold anti-abortion laws and fight the “woke-left’s radical gender agenda”
  • Wants the attorney general’s office empowered to prosecute any violation of state law, including election-related crimes, which Texas courts have said fall under the jurisdiction of local prosecutors and not the state attorney general
  • Wants to enforce transparency of how taxpayer dollars are used and stop “tax dollars from being used to fight against Texas values”
  • Protect oil and gas jobs
  • Prevent “foreign adversaries” from buying up Texas property

In the news:

Endorsements:

How to contact:

P.O. Box 1526

Galveston, TX 77553

Nathan Johnson
Campaign photo
Campaign site

Nathan Johnson

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $290,566
  • Raised between Jan. 1-June 30: $978,427

💰 Major donors this cycle:

  • Texas Sands PAC, tied to casino billionaire Miriam Adelson – $120,000
  • Daniel Cocanougher, Dallas private equity investor and Dragon Ball Z producer – $100,000
  • Evelyn P. Rose, Dallas donor – $50,000
  • Marguerite Hoffman, a Dallas investor – $50,000
  • Lillie Robertson, Houston investor – $30,000
  • John Carona, former GOP state senator and Associa CEO – $25,000
  • Trammell Crow, EarthX founder – $25,000

Experience:

  • Has served in the Texas Senate since 2019, representing part of Dallas County
  • Litigator and mediator with Thompson Coburn, a Dallas-based law firm
  • Says he has passed 134 bills since 2019 spanning water, energy, education, healthcare and criminal justice, among other areas

Political ideology: Johnson is a Democrat who touts his experience working across the aisle in the Republican-dominated Texas Senate. He has criticized Paxton’s use of the attorney general’s office to promote a “radical MAGA agenda,” and has promised to use the agency to take on Trump administration policies “that are harming the economy, tearing apart communities, and eroding the foundations of our democracy”.

Policy stances:

  • Says he would sue the federal government over “border policy and tactics that violate the U.S. Constitution”
  • Wants to champion and enforce Texas laws that protect consumers and promote competition among businesses
  • Says he would independently investigate and prosecute elected officials “irrespective of political party” to root out corruption
  • Cooperate with local district attorneys who can prosecute criminal matters the attorney general’s office can’t, rather than fighting for more criminal prosecutorial power
  • Says he would reinvest in the office’s bureaucratic functions, such as collecting child support, issuing legal opinions that clarify the law, and working with local governments to finance infrastructure and ensure transparency
  • Has spoken against the reduction of voting sites in Tarrant County

In the news:

Endorsements:

How to contact:

nj@nathanfortexas.com

Campaign photo
Campaign site

Tom Oxford

Libertarian

💰 Campaign finance:

  • Cash on hand as of June 30: $0
  • Raised between Jan. 1-June 30: $394

💰 Major donors this year:

  • Liberty Booster PAC – $394 in-kind contribution

Experience:

  • Owns and manages Oxford Law PLLC in Jefferson County
  • Graduated from the University of Texas and the University of Houston College of Law
  • Has practiced law since 1982 in the areas of personal injury, immigration and civil rights
  • Has argued cases before the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Political ideology:

  • The Libertarian Party of Texas’ platform says it seeks “maximum protection for the rights of all people against any violation” and that “… government must be kept to the minimum necessary to protect the rights of individuals.” Government should not interfere in personal matters such as free speech, religion, marriage, family and gun and property rights, the party says.

Policy stances:

  • The Tribune did not find public information about Oxford’s policy stances

In the news:

How to contact:

oxford@waldmansmallwood.com

221 Highway 69 South, Suite 100

Nederland, TX 77627

Disclosure: Cody and Tara Campbell, EarthX, Energy Transfer, John Carona, Marguerite Steed Hoffman and Texas AFT have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

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Eleanor Klibanoff is the law and politics reporter, based in Austin, where she covers the the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, state and federal courts and politics writ large. She...

María Méndez works on efforts to better connect with Texans and writes explainers and guides. She strives to answer Texans' questions about politics and public policy and to help them find resources....