The open seat for Texas attorney general has drawn three candidates who are staking out positions in the runup to the March 2026 Democratic primary election by taking aim at the outgoing Attorney General Ken Paxton, his potential Republican replacements, and, at times, each other.
Democratic candidates running for attorney general this year are state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas), former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, and former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Tony Box.
During a recent forum attended only by Jaworski and Johnson, the candidates sparred over experience and whether a Democratic attorney general should work with Republicans in the state.
“When you look at my opponent’s record in the Senate, he is very comfortable cutting deals with [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick to keep his cherished committee vice chairmanship,” said Jaworski. “That might be fine for the Senate, ladies and gentlemen, but it’s not what we need in our lead attorney.”
Johnson responded that Democrats need “somebody who can win” in November and pointed to Jaworski’s losses in his last three quests for office, which include a primary loss to Rochelle Garza in 2022 for attorney general.
“We need somebody as the chief legal officer of this state who understands state government, who, yes, can work with Republicans — that’s how I managed to pass 135 bills — who, yes, can stand up to authority,” said Johnson.
Both said they would use discretion in choosing which state laws to defend as attorney general, both referred to state Republicans as “MAGA” politicians who are pushing an indefensible agenda, and both cited last year’s Senate Bill (SB) 8, prohibiting biological males from women’s private spaces, as legislation they would not seek to enforce. They also said they would support Texas House Democrats in litigation challenging the state’s mid-decade redistricting plan.
Both candidates frequently cited Paxton’s history as attorney general and lambasted his recent unsolicited opinion on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies that specifically criticized U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — whom Paxton is challenging in the Republican primary this year.
Johnson called the opinion an “abuse of office,” while Jaworski said Paxton’s opinion contradicts legal precedent that Jaworski claimed supports affirmative action policy.
Jaworski specifically criticized Johnson over his vote for legislation last year that responded to sometimes violent pro-Palestine protests by adding restrictions on outside protestors on college and university campuses. Johnson responded that the bill had drawn bipartisan support, including from other Democrats running for statewide office, like state Reps. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) and James Talarico (D-Austin). The law has been held up by litigation in federal court.
Both often referred to state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) as “MAGA Mayes.” Middleton is running for attorney general in the Republican primary along with state Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), former prosecutor Aaron Reitz, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21).
While Box did not attend the forum, in a slew of media interviews, he has talked about his history, which includes being shot in the stomach while trying to assist a crime victim and being the target of a murder-for-hire plot. He also told CBS that Democrats should choose him since he is not a professional politician.
“When I talk to voters, they want someone who is not politics as usual, who are not seeking to advance themselves, who has not been in politics for a very long time and just doing politics for politics’ sake,” said Box.
Like Jaworski and Johnson, Box vowed to review all actions taken by Paxton during his 10-year tenure and criticized Paxton for filing over 100 lawsuits against President Joe Biden’s administration but none against President Donald Trump.
In a poll conducted by Texas Public Opinion Research of likely Democratic primary voters last month, Johnson led with 10 percent, followed by Jaworski at 5 percent and Box at 2 percent, but a whopping 78 percent of respondents were undecided. The same poll found much higher interest in the U.S. Senate race with U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30) and state Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) in a statistical dead heat, but just 21 percent undecided.
Johnson also wields a fundraising advantage and reported $652,819 in his campaign war chest, while Jaworski trails with $219,882 raised and Box reported $137,602.
Following Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s win in the special election runoff for state Senate District 9 last week, Democrats now believe they have a better chance of winning statewide elections in 2026, especially if Paxton is the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate.
During the candidate forum, Jaworski predicted the Republican primary for attorney general would require a runoff election.
“What we’re going to see is such an outrageous, absurd record of what they’ve said that I think the Democrats have a great shot,” said Jaworski.
