Onetime Ken Paxton Ally Is Running for His Job

Throw another one onto the pile of Republicans running for state attorney general in Texas. GOP Rep. Chip Roy, described by Politico as a "conservative antagonist" in DC, announced on Thursday that he's vying to take over the AG job from his former boss, Ken Paxton, who could've run for a fourth term next year but has instead opted to run for the US Senate seat currently occupied by John Cornyn. "Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities," Roy wrote on X, posting a two-minute-plus video plugging his candidacy. "I'm running for Attorney General to carry on that legacy ... unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn."

Roy joins an "already crowded field" of candidates, per the Texas Tribune, including state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, as well as Aaron Reitz, an ex-senior aide to Paxton. The outlet, which calls Roy an "often rebellious member of Congress," notes that the 53-year-old congressman and House Freedom Caucus member was actually Paxton's main deputy for a couple of years before Roy started slamming him amid bribery and abuse of power allegations against Paxton. Roy has also seen rifts between himself and both House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump, both for his willingness to certify the 2020 election and for his pushback on federal spending bills. (Paxton has other issues taking up his bandwidth at the moment.)