‘Inside Texas Politics’: Chip Roy, Mayes Middleton, Sarah Eckhardt, and the Gloves Come Off in the GOP Race for Texas AG

The race for Texas Attorney General has turned sharply personal, with Republican candidates Chip Roy and Mays Middleton trading barbs over experience, ideology, and loyalty to the MAGA movement. Roy, a former first assistant attorney general under Ken Paxton, argues that only a 'real lawyer' with courtroom experience should lead the state's top legal office, emphasizing his record fighting federal overreach and defending conservative policies. Middleton counters by framing himself as the true MAGA candidate, backed by Ken Paxton, Dan Patrick, and Aaron Reitz, and claims his legislative experience in defeating left-wing policies is more valuable than courtroom trials. The debate reveals a deeper rift in the GOP: between a lawyer-politician focused on legal credentials and a political strategist built on ideological alignment. Meanwhile, Democrat Sarah Eckhardt is positioning herself as a fiscal watchdog, promising to audit no-bid contracts, school vouchers, and state agency spending—challenging both parties' fiscal practices. A new Republican poll shows declining enthusiasm among base voters, while President Obama’s surprise visit to Austin with Democratic candidates signals a growing national Democratic investment in Texas. The outcome may hinge not on policy, but on whether the GOP can re-energize its base before November.