Chip Roy's political future uncertain after nail-biting Texas AG race

The list of possible successors to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was whittled down somewhat in Tuesday's primary elections.

On the Republican side, Rep. Chip Roy (R), an antagonist of Paxton who had Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz's endorsement, faced off with Mayes Middleton, a Texas state senator who characterized himself as a proud supporter of the America First agenda; Aaron Reitz, the Paxton-endorsed former assistant attorney general who promised to "destroy the left" if elected; and Joan Huffman, a Texas state senator supported by various police unions.

'I'd like to come home to Texas.'

Roy, who led the pack in a Texas Politics Project Poll taken last month, said in a video statement on Tuesday afternoon, "There's a lot of important issues, and as a former federal prosecutor and the former first assistant attorney general — someone who's been in the battle fighting for you — I'd like to come home to Texas and be your attorney general."

The congressman came home for a relatively disappointing performance, trailing Middleton throughout the night.

With over 91% of the expected votes in, Middleton had secured 39.2% of the vote, while Roy had 31.6% as of Wednesday morning, reported NBC News. Huffman and Reitz secured 15% and 14.2% of the vote, respectively.

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Mayes Middleton. Photo by Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

As neither of the top two Republican candidates obtained more than 50% of the vote, they must go head-to-head on May 26 in a primary runoff election.

Just before midnight, Middleton — a seventh-generation Texan and father of four who was endorsed by numerous conservative groups including the Texas Family Project, Moms for America Action, and the True Texas Project — wrote on X, "1st Place! Thank you to conservatives across Texas for your trust, your vote, and for giving us incredible momentum going into the runoff."

Middleton pledged in his campaign to "lead the charge to secure our border, protect Texas kids, ensure fairness in girls’ and women’s sports, protect Texas taxpayers and consumers, ensure strict election integrity, and root out waste, fraud, and abuse from our government."

Reitz congratulated Roy and Middleton, noting, "They ran strong campaigns, I respect them both, and they earned their place in the next round. I wish them both well."

On the Democrat side, Nathan Johnson, a litigator and composer who contributed scores to the anime series "Dragon Ball Z," competed for his party's nomination against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and Anthony Box, an Army veteran, former FBI agent, and attorney.

With 92% of the votes counted, the Associated Press reported that Johnson led Jaworski and Box by over 20 percentage points with 47.9% of the vote, just shy of the 50% necessary to avoid a runoff on May 26. Jaworski reportedly had 26.7% of the vote as of early Wednesday, while Box had 25.4%.

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