On November 3, 2026, the 2026 Texas Attorney General (AG) election is set to take place. For many, this will be their first chance to have their votes heard in this state-wide election. There are new candidates aiming to take the place of current AG Ken Paxton, including Austin congressman Chip Roy, who has officially declared his candidacy and will be running in the Republican primary. The Republican and Democrat winners of the primary will face off in November.
Ken Paxton has decided not to seek re-election, leaving the office without an incumbent candidate for the first time in over a decade. Ken Paxton is challenging Texas’s U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 election. Cornyn has been a U.S. senator for Texas since 2002; with him finishing up his fourth term, many are calling for a new face in the Senate. Despite both candidates being Republicans, Paxton is running his campaign as the more conservative option.
Twenty-First (21st) congressional district representative Chip Roy’s campaign came as a surprise to many. While a republican, Chip Roy has faced criticism from President Trump, particularly over his response to Trump’s 2020 election reaction, which led to Trump calling for a primary challenge against him. The AG race is already packed with Republican candidates, making the competition especially fierce. Roy is running on a platform focused on securing Texas’s borders, protecting Texas property from being bought by non-American groups, and backing law enforcement. Senator Ted Cruz has endorsed Roy, his former chief of staff.
The Democratic primary election has three candidates: Tony Box, Joe Jaworski, and Nathan Johnson. Joe Jaworski ran for AG in 2022 coming in second in the Democratic primary runoff. This election’s Democratic primary will take place on March 3, likely settling with a May run-off if none of the candidates secure 50% of the votes. Nathan Johnson, a State Senator representing Dallas County, has raised the most funding so far, with approximately $650,000 for his campaign. He has described his top priority as “rebuilding the Office of Attorney General by serving the public interest.” Tony Box, a private attorney in Dallas and a decade-long special agent in the FBI, shares a similar sentiment. He plans to “restor[e] integrity and accountability to an office that has been turned into a laughingstock.” Joe Jaworski, a mediator, lawyer, and former mayor of Galveston, has centered his campaign on making Texas more affordable for young adults.
With the departure of Ken Paxton from the race, the attorney general’s seat is wide open. No matter what, Texans are guaranteed a new AG for next year, which will no doubt bring change. Go vote this November to share your voice in our State government.
