Rep. Chip Roy Running for Texas Attorney General in 2026

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy announced Thursday he’s running for Texas attorney general. 

First elected to the U.S. House from the 21st District of Texas in 2018, Roy, a Republican, has been a staunch conservative in Congress, opposing most big spending bills.

“Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities,” Roy said in a post on X. “I’m running for attorney general to carry on that legacy … unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn.”

Current Attorney General Ken Paxton is running against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary for U.S. Senate. 

Roy’s campaign video warns about problems facing Texas:

“Radical Democrats and George Soros are funding DAs [district attorneys] and liberal judges hellbent on coddling criminals and putting Texas in danger,” Roy says in the two-minute campaign video. “Open border politicians have flooded our streets, hospitals, jails, and schools with illegal immigrants and dangerous fentanyl, empowering cartels while endangering Texans and the immigrants they use as political pawns.”

He also talked about election integrity and the push for woke policies in public schools. 

“Today, we draw a line in the sand. Texas’ next attorney general must have a proven record of fighting to preserve, protect, and defend our legacy,” he continued. 

Election integrity was a major focus for Roy in the House of Representatives. He sponsored the House version of the SAVE Act, short for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The proposal twice passed the House, and would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Roy has placed conservatism over party loyalty in the past. 

He has for the most part been an ally to President Donald Trump on policy matters. However, after Trump’s 2024 election victory and before he took office, the president-elect and Roy clashed. Trump wanted to raise the debt limit, while Roy thought there should be spending restrictions before agreeing to increase the limit. 

Roy had also endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. He endorsed Trump after DeSantis dropped out of the race shortly after coming in second place in the Iowa caucuses. 

Trump briefly floated pushing a primary challenger to run against Roy for his House seat. 

In 2020, Roy had called on Paxton to resign as attorney general at a time the attorney general faced allegations of wrongdoing. Paxton was accused of using his office to benefit a donor and his business interests and was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 but acquitted by the Senate.