TheOpenBallot
Español

Attorney General

4-year termOpen seat: incumbent Republican Ken Paxton ran for U.S. Senate instead of seeking another term. Middleton defeated U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and Johnson defeated Joe Jaworski in the May 26, 2026 runoffs. No declared write-in candidates were listed and no independent qualified. No general election debate was located. Finance figures are as of Dec. 31, 2025 (Wikipedia summary of Texas Ethics Commission reports); later reports were not reviewed.Partially researched. Last researched Oct 20, 2026Report a correction
Republican
Democratic
Libertarian
Property Taxes
What is the candidate's position on property tax levels and relief?
No property tax position located; lists championing taxpayer rights and eliminating government waste ('DOGE Texas') as priorities. 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Education and School Choice
What is the candidate's position on public school funding, education savings accounts, and curriculum?
Campaign says he has championed parental choice in education; no specific AG-office proposal located. 
Voting record
Voted yes on the Senate motion to concur in House amendments to SB 2, which created the education savings account program (often called school vouchers); adopted 19-12 (Senate Journal, April 24, 2025). 
No public statement found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Voting record
Voted no on the Senate motion to concur in House amendments to SB 2, which created the education savings account program (often called school vouchers); adopted 19-12 (Senate Journal, April 24, 2025). 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Border Security
What role should the state play in border security and immigration enforcement?
Would sue cities he describes as 'sanctuary cities,' enforce President Trump's border and deportation agenda, and pursue human trafficking cases. 
Wants a border secure from drug smuggling and trafficking; would assist federal enforcement where appropriate and sue over federal actions he considers unconstitutional. 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Power Grid and Energy
What is the candidate's position on the ERCOT grid, reliability, and energy production?
Pledges to protect oil and gas jobs and Texas energy independence and to stop foreign adversaries from buying Texas land. 
Campaign says he secured $2 billion for backup power at water plants, nursing homes and first-responder sites. 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Water
What is the candidate's approach to water supply and infrastructure?
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Abortion
What is the candidate's position on Texas abortion law?
Says he would uphold Texas anti-abortion laws. 
Voting record
Voted yes on SB 8 (2021), which bans most abortions after cardiac activity is detected, about six weeks into pregnancy, and allows private civil suits; the House passed it 83-64 (Record 784, May 6, 2021). 
No public statement found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Voting record
Voted no on SB 8 (2021), which bans most abortions after cardiac activity is detected, about six weeks into pregnancy, and allows private civil suits; the Senate passed it on third reading 19-12 (Senate Journal, March 30, 2021). 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Firearms
What is the candidate's position on Texas firearms laws?
Campaign says he co-authored the Constitutional Carry bill and lists being a 'Second Amendment Champion' as a priority. 
Voting record
Voted yes on HB 1927 (2021), the permitless (constitutional) carry bill; the House passed it 87-58 (Record 298, April 16, 2021). 
No public statement found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Voting record
Voted no on HB 1927 (2021), the permitless (constitutional) carry bill; the Senate passed it on third reading 18-13 (Senate Journal, May 5, 2021). 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Public Safety and Bail
What is the candidate's position on bail, policing, and criminal justice?
Supports zero-tolerance for violent crime, higher bonds for what he calls "dangerous offenders" and holding district attorneys he calls 'rogue' accountable; seeks power for the AG to prosecute state-law violations. 
Says primary criminal prosecution authority belongs to local district attorneys and would cooperate with them on public safety. 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Health Care
What is the candidate's position on Medicaid, insurance coverage, and health costs in Texas?
No health care position located; campaign says he authored a ban on COVID vaccine mandates. 
Campaign cites his work reforming the Texas health insurance marketplace, which it says brought coverage to about 350,000 people. 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Elections and Voting
What is the candidate's position on election administration, voting rules, and redistricting?
Would enforce voter ID and election laws, ensure only citizens vote, and seek AG authority to prosecute state election-law violations. 
Voting record
Voted yes on HB 4, the 2025 mid-decade congressional redistricting bill, on Senate third reading and final passage, 18-11 (Senate Journal, August 22-23, 2025, 2nd Called Session). 
Has spoken against reducing voting sites in Tarrant County. 
Voting record
Voted no on HB 4, the 2025 mid-decade congressional redistricting bill, on Senate third reading and final passage, 18-11 (Senate Journal, August 22-23, 2025, 2nd Called Session). 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Cannabis and THC
What is the candidate's position on hemp-derived THC, medical cannabis, and marijuana laws?
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Priorities for This Office
What does the candidate say they would prioritize in this specific office?
Lists 11 priorities including border security, protecting children, crime and district attorney accountability, opposing what he calls the 'woke-left's radical gender agenda,' election integrity, government waste, and consumer protection. 
Priorities: enforcing laws that protect consumers and promote business competition, investigating officials regardless of party, overhauling child support collection, legal opinions and local infrastructure financing. Says he would not defend the law requiring Ten Commandments displays in classrooms, which he calls unconstitutional. 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Transgender Policy
What is the candidate's position on Texas laws related to transgender people, including medical treatment for minors, school sports, facilities, and legal definitions of sex?
Campaign site pledges to keep people born male out of women's private spaces and female sports and says he authored the Save Women's Sports Act for college athletics. 
Voting record
Voted yes on Senate final passage of SB 14 (2023), which prohibits gender transition medical treatment for minors (passed 19-12, April 4, 2023); sponsored SB 7 in the 2025 special session limiting access to women's restrooms, locker rooms and family shelters by sex. 
No public statement found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Voting record
Voted no on Senate final passage of SB 14 (2023), which prohibits gender transition medical treatment for minors (passed 19-12, April 4, 2023). 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Religion and Public Schools
What is the candidate's position on religion in public schools, such as displaying the Ten Commandments, school prayer, and chaplains?
Says public schools are not "God-free zones" and calls separation of church and state a "false doctrine"; donated Ten Commandments posters to his local school district. 
Voting record
Voted yes on SB 10 on passage. SB 10 requires display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms; the Senate passed it 20-11 (March 19, 2025) and concurred in House amendments 21-10 (May 28, 2025). Carried a 2023 bill allowing chaplains in public schools. 
Says the 2025 Ten Commandments classroom law is unconstitutional and that as attorney general he would not defend it. 
Voting record
Voted no on SB 10 on passage. SB 10 requires display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms; the Senate passed it 20-11 (March 19, 2025) and concurred in House amendments 21-10 (May 28, 2025). 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Religious Liberty and Faith Communities
What has the candidate said or done regarding religious freedom and specific faith communities in Texas, such as Christians, Jews, and Muslims?
Says "our rights come from God, not government"; during the 2026 primary campaigned against Sharia law and criticized what he called the "Islamification of Texas." 
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Home Insurance and Housing Costs
What is the candidate's approach to home insurance rates and housing costs in Texas?
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Issue 1 of 16

Property Taxes

What is the candidate's position on property tax levels and relief?
Republican
No property tax position located; lists championing taxpayer rights and eliminating government waste ('DOGE Texas') as priorities. 
Democratic
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Libertarian
No public position found.
Searched Oct 20, 2026.
Sources for this contest (6)
  1. Sample Ballot, General and Special Elections, November 3, 2026, Harris County Clerk / Harris County Elections. Retrieved Oct 20, 2026.
  2. List of Declared Write-In Candidates (Form AW2-12), November 2026, Tarrant County Elections. Retrieved Oct 20, 2026.
  3. Few third-party, independent candidates qualify for November ballot, Texas Public Radio. Retrieved Oct 20, 2026.
  4. 2026 Texas Attorney General election, Wikipedia. Retrieved Oct 20, 2026.
  5. Texas attorney general election 2026: Mayes Middleton, Nathan Johnson, Tom Oxford, The Texas Tribune. Retrieved Oct 20, 2026.
  6. Democrat Nathan Johnson to run against Republican Mayes Middleton for Texas AG in November election, Texas Standard. Retrieved Oct 20, 2026.