Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, on Tuesday afternoon announced that he will run for Texas attorney general in the 2026 election, following sitting AG Ken Paxton’s announcement last week that he will not seek re-election in order to run for U.S. Senate.
Middleton, who was elected to the Texas House in 2018 and 2020 and is serving in his first term in the upper chamber, is known for his deeply conservative and religious politics. A 2023 Senate pamphlet profiling the senators noted that “in his two terms in the Legislature, Mayes has consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most conservative members of the Texas House.”
In his announcement, posted on X, he bragged that he has “championed policies” to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports and to “[put] prayer back in school.”
The sitting senator also cast himself as an ally of President Donald Trump, vowing to “join President Trump in his efforts to return America and Texas to common sense and to fight to secure the border, ensure law and order, and be tough on crime.”
Trump endorsed Middleton during his 2021 state senate run.
Middleton committed to contributing $10 million to his campaign in the announcement. He is the second candidate in the attorney general race, joining John Bash, a former attorney and lawyer for Elon Musk.
Middleton earned a law degree from the University of Texas Law School in 2008. The State Bar of Texas lists his primary practice location as Middleton Oil Co., his family’s private oil company. He is currently its president.
