Update: This story has been updated to include quotes from an interview with Nathan Johnson after the runoff election. KERA reached out to Mayes Middleton's campaign but didn't hear back.
Democrat Nathan Johnson and Republican Mayes Middleton appear to be headed for a battle over who will be Texas' next attorney general in the November election.
Johnson, a state senator from Dallas received about 61% of the vote in the Democratic runoff according to Texas Secretary of State election results . And Middleton, a state senator representing the 11th district, received about 55% of the vote in the Republican primary runoff according to Texas Secretary of State election results. The Associated Press called the Democratic contest for Texas AG for Johnson and the Republican contest for Middleton Tuesday night.
The winner in November will replace Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who outdistanced incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican runoff election Tuesday.
Johnson was opposed by former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy unsuccessfully opposed Middleton in the runoff.
Much of the GOP runoff for the AG nomination focused on who’s the true MAGA candidate.
Texas became the lead advocate for President Donald Trump’s agenda in the courtroom under Paxton’s leadership. Middleton’s campaign ran several ads dubbing him “MAGA Mayes.”
Middleton frequently pointed to Roy’s past criticisms of the president during the campaign. Roy previously said in a press release that Trump’s conduct during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during President Joe Biden’s inauguration was “clearly impeachable” but called the Democrats’ articles of impeachment flawed and voted against it.
“Our voters are just not going to forgive someone that has spent ten years fighting against the president like Chip Roy has,” Middleton said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March.
Trump won the majority of the state's votes in 2024.
Johnson said he plans to reach out to conservative voters, including those who voted for Trump.
"Trump got some Obama voters," he said. "The electrode is not static."
The Republicans spent millions of dollars on their campaigns. Middleton, who runs his family’s oil and gas company, used his personal wealth to bolster his campaign funds.
Johnson’s campaign fundraising has been lower than Middleton, reaching six figures according to campaign finance reports.
Democrats often struggle to match Republicans’ funding, said Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson.
"A Democrat that far down the ballot is usually going around the state with a tin cup trying to raise lunch money,” Jillson said.
Johnson said the race to replace Paxton, a known entity, will attract national attention and donors.
“Texas has for years, it's been an ATM, it's a dispensing machine to the rest of the country," he said. "It's a moment when I think we may see the rest the country putting some money into Texas."
Johnson took office as a state senator in 2019. According to his campaign website, the Dallas litigator has authored 433 bills and 134 have passed into law. The website also says he has "composed musical scores for the hit anime series Dragon Ball Z."
Middleton's campaign website describes him as the president of an independent oil and gas company and attorney who also runs "ranching, cattle, and farming operations. It also states that he and his wife support local community organizations and faith-based charities in the Galveston-Houston area.
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