Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) officially launched his bid for Texas attorney general on Thursday, jumping into the crowded Republican primary to replace the current state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).
“Texans’ next attorney general must have a proven record of fighting to preserve, protect, and defend our legacy,” Roy said in his campaign launch video posted on Thursday.
The Hill was the first outlet to report on Roy eyeing a run for the Lone Star State’s top law enforcement position earlier this month.
Next year’s race will mark the first open attorney general contest in the state since 2014, when Paxton was first elected. Paxton is challenging incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) for his seat in a hotly contested primary next year.
Roy joins a number of other Republicans seeking to replace Paxton, including state Sens. Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman, as well as Aaron Reitz, who previously worked in the Trump administration and for Paxton.
Roy has served in the House of Representatives since 2019 and is one of the more well-known faces in the House Freedom Caucus. Roy, as well as other members of the Freedom Caucus, have not been afraid to push back on President Trump, particularly on fiscal issues.
Additionally Roy has broken with Paxton, who formerly served as his assistant attorney general. But in 2020, Roy called on his former boss to resign following bribery allegations. Roy’s rock relationships with Paxton and Trump could play in the GOP primary for the post.
