Conservative hardliner Rep. Chip Roy announced Thursday that he is throwing his cowboy hat into the crowded race for Texas attorney general.
The four-term lawmaker, who represents Texas’ 21st Congressional District and is known for clashing with his Republican colleagues and President Trump, released a campaign video on social media warning that the Lone Star State’s families and forefathers are under assault.”
“Radical democrats and George Soros are funding DAs and liberal judges hellbent on coddling criminals and putting Texans in danger,” Roy, 53, said in his frontier-style political ad.
“Open border politicians have flooded our streets, hospitals, jails and schools with illegal immigrants and dangerous fentanyl. Today, we draw a line in the sand. Texans’ next attorney general must have a proven record of fighting to preserve, protect and defend our legacy.”
Roy, a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, joins a crowded Republican primary aiming to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton, who plans to challenge Sen. John Cornyn next year.
Four-term Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy has entered the crowded race to succeed state Attorney General Ken Paxton. REUTERS
Other candidates vying to become the state’s top prosecutor include Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton.
“My experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home,” Roy, who has served his right-leaning district in central Texas since 2019, said in a statement announcing his run.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton plans to challenge Sen. John Cornyn next year. AP“I want to take my experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas.”
Roy previously served as Paxton’s second-in-command in the attorney general’s office before securing his congressional seat in 2018 — later emerging as a vocal critic of his former boss, demanding he step down following accusations of bribery and misconduct.
While the congressman has been a frequent holdout on key issues endorsed by Trump, he has also tried to align with him — emphasizing only his backing for the commander in chief’s agenda in his campaign clip.
Roy initially voted to certify the 2020 election results before shifting his stance, an approach he also took with Trump’s massive “Big Beautiful” tax and spending plan.
He also endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP primary.
In 2024, Trump singled out Roy over a party dispute on a government funding package, calling on voters to “go after” him in the primary.
With Post wires
