Emboldened by overturning Roe v. Wade, conservative legal groups hope Ken Paxton’s successor will help them overturn gay marriage and public school access for undocumented students.

Reitz, a former aide to Texas AG Ken Paxton, had sharply criticized both Middleton and Chip Roy on the campaign trail.

There are races in 30 states this year for attorney general, and groups that support those candidates prepared for the elections by raising record amounts in 2025.

Middleton gave almost $14 million to his own campaign, helping propel him into first place on election night.

With a self-funded ad surge, Middleton overcame Roy’s initial frontrunner status, taking a commanding lead but falling short of the majority needed to win outright.

Days out from the March primary, Republicans called for changes to immigration law. Democrats repeated their calls for stricter gun laws.

All four candidates are vying to prove they are the heir apparent to Paxton, who has solidified the office as a juggernaut in the conservative legal movement.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has broken with his party, and called out President Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxton. He says his loyalty is to Texas and to the Constitution.

Huffman is running on her criminal prosecution experience and allegiance to the rule of law, cutting a contrast with her opponents who are emphasizing a continuation of Paxton’s culture war battles.

The poll, released Wednesday, also showed Sid Miller and Don Huffines with comfortable leads in their Republican primary bids for agriculture commissioner and comptroller.

The former Texas Rangers first baseman has poured $2.5 million of his own money into the race and recently scooped up the key endorsement of President Donald Trump.

As the GOP and its factions debate what constitutes American identity, opposition to Islam has become a key campaign pillar for some Texas Republicans in statewide races and beyond.

The four-way Republican primary drew millions in donations over the second half of 2025, outpacing the comparatively meager fundraising by Democrats led by Sen. Nathan Johnson.

House Republicans plans to vote on a bill regulating college sports has been scrapped due to divisions within their caucus.

The longtime GOP operative has spent decades as a lawyer for Texas Republicans and conservative causes.

Aaron Reitz and Chip Roy, positioning themselves as Paxton’s ideological heirs, have served as top aides for both the attorney general and Cruz.

A Republican congressman from Texas, Chip Roy, says he's running for state attorney general.

Flash flooding in Texas Hill Country has triggered one of the largest rescue operations in the state’s history.

The package includes $13.5 billion to reimburse states for border spending. It is expected to meet resistance in the House from some Texas Republicans.

The U.S. House approved the budget reconciliation bill, which also includes preservation of 2017 tax cuts and changes to Medicaid and SNAP.

President Donald Trump will look to build momentum for his sweeping tax cut and immigration bill, meeting with House Republicans as they try to work out their differences.

There were cheers when Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee signed off on the GOP tax breaks bill after a round-the-clock session that pushed President Donald Trump’s package past overwhelming Democratic opposition.

Texas Republicans are pushing the federal government to pay the state’s costs of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg’s Abbott’s border security initiative.

Voting rights groups warn legislation passed by the House requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for anyone registering to vote could disenfranchise millions of Americans.

House Republicans have abruptly postponed a late evening vote on their budget framework as grave misgivings from conservative GOP lawmakers threw it in flux.

House Speaker Mike Johnson finds himself in a familiar jam, with conservative Republican holdouts stalling action on President Donald Trump’s “big” bill of tax breaks and spending reductions.

One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next one.

Gonzales’ warning that mass removals of undocumented immigrants are unfeasible got pushback from Roy, who said everyone in the country illegally must be deported.

The House has passed a bill requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration.

Gonzales’ interview on CNN infuriated members of the House Freedom Caucus, causing one to endorse his primary opponent.

From the Texas House to former President Donald Trump, Republicans around the country defended Gov. Greg Abbott’s challenges to the Biden administration's border policies.

Ron DeSantis is taking his battle with Nikki Haley directly to her home state, planning to head straight to South Carolina, which holds the first GOP votes in the South, after Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

Thirteen Texas Republicans opposed the GOP-led legislation, which would keep the government funded as Congress negotiates federal appropriations. The bill passed after nearly all Democrats came to back it.

The move would let the House act on legislation amid the Israel-Hamas war and other priorities, but several Texans recoiled at the idea, saying it would hand power to Democrats and break trust with supporters.

The two Texas holdouts, combined with a handful of other members who have vowed to vote against Rep. Steve Scalise, could delay the selection of the next House speaker.

In January, some Republican Texans led the charge to challenge McCarthy’s leadership bid. But this time, all Texas Republicans who were present voted to save McCarthy and every U.S. House Democrat voted to remove him.

Republicans were not in agreement about whether they supported suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Escalating their fight over Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of immigration at the southern border, far-right representatives say they will oppose any appropriations for his agency.

With help from two other ultraconservatives, the Texas Republican’s seat on the Rules Committee has let him press for red-meat priorities, even in traditionally bipartisan legislation.

The Florida governor calls for deputizing local law enforcement to police the border and deport migrants, saying his plan is “more aggressive” than the former president’s proposals.

The chair of the House Appropriations Committee vows to hold spending bills to 2022 levels to counter “years of out-of-control spending.”

GOP lawmakers dismiss the charges over classified documents as a partisan attack, but Democrats say the matter proves nobody is above the law.

Joined in opposition by four Texas Democrats, the “no” votes weren’t enough to sink the proposal, which next heads to the U.S. Senate.

The reviews are starting to come in about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The high-stakes confrontation could have an impact on retirements accounts, corporations and much more.

The Secure the Border Act would resume construction of the border wall, limit asylum eligibility and require asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico. It faces tough going in the Senate.

The two-term Republican, criticized by his own party for breaking with the GOP on key votes, is not inclined to change his ways.

The former president is courting state support as other GOP candidates try to emerge from his shadow, including Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.

Republicans are jump-starting an immigration and border enforcement package.

A conservative Texas congressman is preemptively endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, even though DeSantis hasn't yet announced a bid.

The Austin Republican is the staunch conservative who led 19 House members in blocking Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the speakership. “I believe it’s time for a new generation of leadership,” he said of DeSantis.

The Austin Republican’s tacit approval only adds fuel to the fire for Texas Democrats recoiling at the report that the Biden administration could detain asylum-seekers.

The censure resolution cites Gonzales’ rejection of a border security proposal by fellow Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, and his support of a bill for same-sex marriage protections and a bipartisan gun safety law.

Texas Republicans in the U.S. House are working with their divided party to eke out a path forward on raising the debt limit.

The debt ceiling has long been a political tool to force partisan agenda items across. But Roy is facing some resistance within his own party on his border plan.

Texans poised to assume committee leadership are growing frustrated by Republicans blocking Kevin McCarthy’s election for speaker because Congress can’t get to work until a leader is in place.

Three Texas Republicans, including Roy, voted three times against U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to be House speaker. They’re demanding rules changes that would give more power to rank-and-file members.

A large contingent of Republican lawmakers from Texas unveiled a border security plan they say will be a priority during the new Congressional session.

The California Republican still needs at least 218 votes to become House speaker. That vote will be on Jan. 3.

The bill, which passed in the House, would expand the formula brand choices available to mothers on a federal assistance program in an attempt to mitigate a disruptive baby formula shortage around the country.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee worked on early efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, helping push legally dubious schemes to keep then-President Donald Trump in power, before he shifted course and quickly backed away.

CNN on Friday published the Austin congressman’s text messages with President Donald Trump’s chief of staff in the aftermath of the election.

The bill creating the commission, which would have subpoena power, passed 252-175. It was highly contentious within the House GOP conference, and it's unclear if it will pass the Senate.

Roy announced that he was seeking the post on Thursday, but was then quickly denounced by former President Donald Trump.

Roy was among a small handful of Texas Republicans who voted against overturning the election in January.

Greg Abbott talks about border security at a news conference at Anzalduas Park in Mission on March 9, 2021. Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas TribuneEditor's note: If you'd like an email notice whenever we publish Ross Ramsey's column, click here. “I think there's an old saying in Texas about — find all the rope in Texas and get a tall oak tree. You know we take justice very seriously, and we ought to do that— round up the bad guys,” he added. Democrats are fretting loudly, but even some Republicans, like Texas GOP Chair Allen West, think Roy went over the line.

The hearing, scheduled before the attack, was intended to address the acceleration of attacks against Asian Americans in the year since the COVID-19 pandemic overtook American life. "And as a former federal prosecutor, I'm kind of predisposed and wired to want to go take out bad guys. AdMeng, first elected in 2012, has spearheaded efforts to stop discrimination against Asian Americans amid the pandemic. Asian Americans have been victim to a rise in racist attacks since the onset of the virus, which was first detected in China. You know we take justice very seriously and we ought to do that, round up the bad guys,” he added.

Greg Abbott is pushing state lawmakers to protect individuals and companies that opened businesses during the pandemic against coronavirus-related lawsuits, he said Tuesday. It’s another in a long line of Abbott’s attempts to support businesses despite the worsening public health crisis and ongoing economic turbulence in Texas. He told a table of business leaders Tuesday in San Antonio that businesses “have gone above and beyond" to remain open during the pandemic. “And yet those same businesses, they face the threat of potential lawsuits for the fact that they opened up," he said. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, unsuccessfully pushed for federal legislation that would have included similar civil liability protections for businesses.

Elia Montoya serves breakfast dishes to U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and his family at Juan In A Million in East Austin in May. After the ruling, Deputy Attor­ney Gen­er­al Aaron Reitz announced on Twitter that the state would appeal. Under the curfew, patrons are not ordered to leave at 10:30 p.m., but they could not be served on-site. “It is our position that these local officials are in the best position to make the best decision for this jurisdiction,” said Travis County attorney Leslie Dippell. “My executive order stops cities like Austin from arbitrarily shutting down businesses,” he said.

Texas Democrats are hoping to flip several congressional seats held by Republicans on Election Day. At least five Republican incumbents whom Democrats targeted cruised to reelection, according to races called by Decision Desk HQ. Similarly, U.S. Rep. Van Taylor, R-Plano, also held off a challenge from Democrat Lulu Seikaly in Collin County's 3rd Congressional District. Three new members-elect in safe Republican seats also won their races, according to Decision Desk HQ. In the 4th Congressional District that covers the northeastern part of the state, State Sen. Pat Fallon will replace John Ratcliffe, who is now director of National Intelligence.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, is in a close contest with Democratic challenger Wendy Davis. That brawl is between two Austin-based political heavyweights, Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and Democratic former state Sen. Wendy Davis. “I’m Chip Roy, and here’s some Texas common sense: We can reopen safely. “Chip Roy is an elected leader, but he’s all over town not wearing a mask in crowded indoor places, dismisses reports about the danger to children and Chip Roy continues to advise an extreme plan to infect two-thirds of the population to stop the virus,” he said. And Davis re-emerged on the Texas political scene as the face of the Austin's Women's March in 2017, pink hat and all.

But the Democratic fundraising shows serious momentum as the national party reaches the finale of its drive to make Texas the top congressional battleground nationwide this November. At least five of the 12 races being targeted by both have drawn millions of dollars in outside spending by national groups such as the DCCC; the National Republican Congressional Committee; House Majority PAC, which supports Democrats; and Congressional Leadership Fund, which backs Republicans. The biggest disparity was between Roy and his Democratic foe, Wendy Davis, who more than doubled his fundraising, $3.5 million to $1.6 million. Regardless of candidate-to-candidate comparisons, though, the latest filings showed a staggering wave of money is pouring in to the races. Allred ended the period with more money in the bank, $1.7 million to Collins’ $1 million.

In his limited public statements on the allegations, Paxton has pointed the finger back at the top deputies accusing him of wrongdoing. My obligation as attorney general is to conduct an investigation upon such referral,” Paxton said. “I am confident that he will diligently and faithfully serve the office and the people of Texas,” Paxton said in a statement. “For the good of the people of Texas and the extraordinary public servants who serve at the Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Ken Paxton must resign,” Roy said in a statement. Roy served as Paxton’s initial first assistant attorney general during Paxton’s first term, but resigned upon Paxton’s request in a major shake-up of senior staff in 2015.

FILE - In this June 28, 2020 file photo, Texas State's Attorney General Ken Paxton waits on the flight line for the arrival of Vice President Mike Pence at Love Field in Dallas. Roy said in a Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, statement that Paxton must resign for the good of the people of Texas. Paxton asked a Houston lawyer to act as special prosecutor in the investigation of Paul's claims, the newspapers reported. Paxton's defense attorney, Philip Hilder, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Rooting out corruption is on the ballot,” Manny Garcia, the Texas Democratic Party’s deputy executive director, said in a statement.

WASHINGTON – From left, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Attorney General Ken Paxton. "For the good of the people of Texas and the extraordinary public servants who serve at the Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Ken Paxton must resign," he said in a statement. Roy called the office of the attorney general "too critical to the state and her people to leave in chaos." "The Attorney General deserves his days in court, but the people of Texas deserve a fully functioning AG’s office," he added. Roy served as Paxton's initial first assistant attorney general during Paxton'd first term, but left, in a major shake-up of senior staff, in 2015.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, is being challenged by Democratic former state Sen. Wendy Davis in Texas' 21st Congressional District. The TV ad campaign is getting a relatively early start in the race for Texas' 21st Congressional District, foretelling a contentious, expensive sprint to November for U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, and his well-known Democratic opponent, Wendy Davis. Davis' campaign is going up with a spot that highlights her biography and the fact that she's a grandmother. Meanwhile, the pro-Roy Club for Growth is starting to air an attack ad against Davis, whom the ad calls a "self-serving politician." Roy's seat is among seven that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting this fall in Texas.

There are as many as nine congressional races in Texas that have the attention of at least one of the national parties. The DCCC, she added, is "very optimistic that we're going to make a lot of headway in Texas this year." "Texas Democrats nominated an unelectable slate of socialist extremists who are far out of step with voters," Bob Salera, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement for this story. As for the seven seats that national Democrats are working to flip, a general hierarchy has emerged around where they are most hopeful. "I have no interest in trying to align or differentiate myself from any national Democrats because ultimately it's about the people of this district."

Republican Party of Bexar County Chairman Cynthia Brehm. Greg Abbott is calling for the resignation of the Republican Party chair in one of the state's biggest counties after she floated a conspiracy theory about the death of George Floyd. "Cynthia Brehm should immediately resign her position as Chair of the Bexar County Republican Party." Garcia's tweet prompted U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, whose district includes Bexar County, to call for Brehm to step down immediately. The Bexar County Republican Party chair has a new conspiracy theory.

Watch a conversation featuring U.S. House Freedom Caucus founding Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Chairman Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina; and member Chip Roy, R-Austin.