Democrat Nathan Johnson defeated Republican Mayes Middleton in the race for Texas attorney general. Johnson, a state senator since 2018, received 1,267,824 statewide votes (59.1%), compared with Middleton's 846,563 votes (39.5%), according to partial election returns. The seat became available after Republican Ken Paxton chose to run for U.S. Senate instead of reelection.
Where
Statewide
When
November 3, 2026
Sources
Reported by 3 outlets
Taxes and money
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Statewide votes received1,267,8241Who pays or receives it: Nathan Johnson
Statewide votes received846,5631Who pays or receives it: Mayes Middleton
Statewide votes received29,0351Who pays or receives it: Other candidates
Who's involved
Nathan JohnsonDemocrat candidate for Texas attorney general; Texas state senator since 2018
Mayes MiddletonRepublican candidate for Texas attorney general; Texas state senator from Senate District 11 since 2019
Ken PaxtonRepublican Texas attorney general who chose to run for U.S. Senate
Chip RoyU.S. representative from Austin who ran in Republican runoff
Joe JaworskiFormer mayor of Galveston who ran in Democratic runoff
The facts
Johnson received 59.1% of statewide votes; Middleton received 39.5%1
Johnson held a 421,261-vote early statewide lead with votes still being counted1
In Galveston County, Middleton led with 54.51% of votes; Johnson received 43.85%1
Middleton held an 11,304-vote advantage in Galveston County1
Middleton beat Chip Roy and Johnson defeated Joe Jaworski in May runoff elections2
Johnson's victory is the first time a Democrat won Texas attorney general since 19942
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Nathan Johnson Criticized the office's direction under Paxton; office should prioritize legal needs of Texans rather than partisan political disputes1
Nathan Johnson Campaigned on restoring public trust in attorney general's office and focusing on consumer protection, government accountability1
Mayes Middleton Built political platform around conservative priorities including restrictions on abortion, parental rights, opposition to certain LGBTQ-related policies1
Mayes Middleton Emphasized defending Texas laws against federal challenges and enforcing conservative legislation1
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Republican Middleton facing defeat in Texas Attorney General race
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Gina Hinojosa won election as Texas governor and another Democrat won U.S. Senate from Texas for the first time since 1988 and 1990 respectively. Gov.-elect Hinojosa stated she will maintain a freeze on new data center authorizations ordered by outgoing Governor Greg Abbott.
$nearly nine million dollars for campaign contributions
Gina Hinojosa, Governor-elect; Talarico, U.S. Senate-elect (first name not given); Jorge Renaud, Voter and 5 more
Texas senator-elect James Talarico made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live's cold open, interrupting a sketch about President Donald Trump's midterm loss. Comedian Druski hosted the episode with musical guest The Strokes.
James Talarico, Texas senator-elect who appeared in the cold open; Druski, Host of Saturday Night Live; James Austin Johnson, Actor playing Trump in cold open sketch and 2 more
Democrats won a landslide victory in Tuesday's midterm election. Voters in 10 states rejected data center expansion in 40 of 41 local ballot measures. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected governor, the first Democrat since 1990, and pledged a statewide moratorium on data center approvals.
$$4.4 billion for debt owed by CoreWeave
Gina Hinojosa, Governor-elect of Texas, Democrat; Michael Intrator, CEO of CoreWeave; Democrats, Party that won midterm election and 1 more
Matthew Shane Zachary was arrested and charged with murder in connection with a homicide at a residence in Gaines County. The Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers are leading the investigation with assistance from the Gaines County Sheriff's Office.
$$750,000 for bond
Matthew Shane Zachary, Suspect arrested and charged with murder; Gaines County Sheriff's Office, Law enforcement investigating homicide; Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers, Leading the investigation
Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa said in a CNN interview that the state should pause work with data centers until protections for residents are in place. She promised to introduce laws to change the state's approach and said communities should have a role in deciding whether data centers are built there.
Democrats in the Texas Legislature filed legislation Monday as bill filing opened for the 2027 session. Proposals included Medicaid expansion, minimum wage increases, ending data center tax breaks, banning Flock cameras, repealing ICE partnership requirements for sheriffs, forbidding border wall construction at state parks, ending school vouchers, boosting per-pupil school funding, legalizing marijuana, and building high-speed rail from Dallas to San Antonio.
$up to $10 billion a year for medicaid expansion annual funding to Texas
State Rep. John Bucy, D-Austin, filed Medicaid expansion bill; State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, filed companion Medicaid bill; Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, filed school nurse notification bill and 3 more
El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrested 38-year-old Laron Lenard Watts and charged him with theft of property valued at $150,000 or more after he reportedly refused to return a shipment of fiber-optic cable, trailer, and container worth $155,000 total following a payment dispute.
$$155,000 for estimated value of property (shipping container, trailer chassis, fiber-optic cable)
Laron Lenard Watts, 38-year-old man arrested and charged with theft; El Paso County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement agency conducting investigation and making arrest