Mayes Middleton wins Texas GOP attorney general runoff over Chip Roy

The Republican state senator, who has touted his support for President Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda, is one step closer to replacing Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton on Tuesday defeated Rep. Chip Roy, one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives, for the Republican nomination for attorney general in Texas, the Associated Press reported.

Roy accepted the race by calling Middleton shortly after the results came in to congratulate him.

“I recently called and congratulated @mayes_middleton on his victory in our race for the Republican nominee for Attorney General. I will be making a full statement tomorrow. Moving forward,” Roy wrote to X.

The ballot box battle between Roy, the head of an independent oil and gas company, and Middleton has become bitter and expensive, in part a test of which candidate is more of a fighter for Trump and his America First and MAGA movements.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UPDATED WITH FOX NEWS ELECTION CENTER

Middleton, who bested Roy in the March primary, spent nearly $17 million of her own money to support her campaign. But Roy, a former deputy attorney general of Texas and former chief of staff to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, has seen a late surge in fundraising from major backers.

“We have the financial support necessary to compete against my opponent, who is self-funded and has inheritance money to spend,” Roy said in an interview on Fox News Digital on the eve of the runoff.

Roy argued that Middleton’s lack of trial experience would make him a poor attorney general.

“Being an assistant attorney general prepares me for day one, but I’ve also been a prosecutor, I’ve been in court, I’ve appeared before a judge, I’ve appeared before a judge, I’ve argued cases, and he’s never done any of that. And we think those things should be important,” Roy emphasized.

TED CRUZ SUPPORTS CHIP ROY FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: ‘There’s Nothing Better’

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, seen walking up the House steps for a vote at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, April 16, 2026, has won the GOP nomination for Texas Attorney General. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Middleton pushed back, questioning Roy’s conservative credentials and running ads claiming Roy was his “betrayed MAGA,” pointing to times when the congresswoman broke away from Trump on policy.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Middleton said, “Chip Roy is someone who has been at war with the president for a decade. He actually said President Trump engaged in impeachable behavior in the House of Representatives.” he said. “What did I do instead of spending 10 years fighting President Trump? I spent 10 years fighting to defeat the left, which is the most important thing in this race.”

TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE CHIP ROY ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAD APPLIED WITH THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON.

President Donald J. Trump, who remained neutral in the Republican Attorney General runoff in Texas, was a major point of contention in the primary battle. (Kyle Mazza/Pool/Sipa USA)

But Roy said in response: “Everyone knows that I’m a long-time advocate and supporter of the president’s agenda, the America First agenda, the MAGA agenda, but I’m also an independent thinker who will stand up and make the case.”

Pointing to Middleton, Roy said, “MAGA is not something you just buy. My opponent thinks you can buy this brand.”

Middleton returned fire, saying, “Chip Roy is proving to be President Trump’s best ally, when the opposite is the case.”

Trump remained neutral in the second round showdown.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Middleton will likely face Democratic Sen. Nathan Johnson, who is close to clinching his party’s nomination in the primary. Johnson was facing former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

Paxton decided not to seek re-election while running against longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn for the Republican Senate nomination.