Two Democrats enter Texas attorney general race as Paxton sets sights on U.S. Senate
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's decision to run for the U.S. Senate has opened a rare vacancy in statewide office, triggering a crowded race to replace him — with at least five candidates, including two Democrats and three Republicans, already launching campaigns for attorney general.
Last Tuesday, Dallas County Sen. Nathan Johnson kicked off his campaign. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2018. And on Thursday, former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski said he wants the nomination. Jaworski ran for the same office in 2022, losing the democratic nomination in a runoff.
Three Republicans want to be the next attorney general, including state senators Joan Huffman of Houston and Hayes Middleton of Galveston. Aaron Reitz, a former Justice Department attorney, is also in the race for the nomination.
They all want to replace Paxton, who is leaving the office to run for U.S. Senate. He is in a primary challenge against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. The attorney general's race is a rare open seat in the state, as Paxton was elected the 51st attorney general of Texas in 2014.
The race for Texas U.S. Senate seat
In May, a poll by Super PAC Senate Leadership Fund showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 16 percentage points, 56% to 40%.
The poll, conducted between April 27 and May 1, showed that in a general election, Cornyn would beat former Democratic Congressman Colin Allred of Dallas by six percentage points, while Houston-area Congressman Wesley Hunt has a one percentage point lead, and Paxton is behind Allred by one percentage point.
Cornyn spoke with reporters in May about a previous internal poll showing him trailing Paxton. He said he worries that if Paxton becomes the Republican nominee, he would lose to a Democrat.
"The last thing we need to do is provide an opportunity for Democrats to get a beachhead in Texas," said Cornyn. "Which, depending on how the primary turns out, could happen. That would be the end of Texas being red."
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