Joan Huffman

Attorney General · Republican Primary 2026

Republican

About ✓ Verified

Former prosecutor and judge with strongest law enforcement credentials but struggling in polls and fundraising. Running on competent governance and rule of law.

Key Positions ✓ Verified

Law and order — enhance public safety through stronger law enforcement partnerships
Beef up AG office's criminal investigation and prosecution divisions
Rule of law — 'I'm going to be a law follower and a rule follower'
Build relationships with district attorneys statewide rather than threatening removal
Focus on competent governance over press conferences and political lawsuits
Restore trust and cooperation with local law enforcement
Authored legislation making it easier to remove local prosecutors
Combat transnational crimes like human trafficking and fentanyl trafficking
Defend against federal overreach 'no matter who the administration is'

Strengths Sourced

Extensive prosecutorial and judicial experience
Authored key law enforcement legislation
Strongest credentials in criminal law
Editorial board endorsements show mainstream appeal

Concerns Sourced

Lagging significantly in polling and fundraising
Campaign style may not appeal to primary voters
Criticized as insufficiently loyal to Paxton
Low name recognition hurts viability

Endorsements ✓ Verified

Houston Chronicle (editorial board)
Austin American-Statesman (editorial board)
Dallas Morning News (editorial board)
San Antonio Express-News (editorial board)
Houston Police Officers Union (labor union)
Texas DPS Officers Association (professional association)
State Sen. Robert Nichols (elected official)
State Sen. Donna Campbell (elected official)
Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey (elected official)
Waller County DA Sean Whittmore (elected official)
Ross Perot Jr. (public figure)

Polling ✓ Verified

9% according to UT/Texas Politics Project poll (Feb. 2-16, 2026, +/-5.7% margin of error), down from previous 13% in UH Hobby School poll from January. Continuing struggle for runoff viability.

Fundraising ✓ Verified

Lagging in fundraising compared to opponents, trails in both new donations and cash on hand according to recent reports. $2.7 million cash on hand.

Sources (20)

For Texas attorney general, Joan Huffman promises law and order (2026-02-24)
Texas Attorney General election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary) - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
GOP attorney general candidates tout conservative bona fides at only debate in primary to succeed Ken Paxton – Houston Public Media (2026-02-24)
Texas Primaries 2026 | University of Houston (2026-02-24)
New poll for Texas primary has Roy, Miller leading races (2026-02-24)
New Texas Primary Poll Shows Roy, Middleton Leading in Attorney General Race | 2026 | The Texan (2026-02-24)
A look at the 4 Republican candidates in primary race for attorney general (2026-02-24)
Texas GOP attorney general candidates debate Tuesday night (2026-02-24)
New poll brings new punches in Texas GOP attorney general race | FOX 7 Austin (2026-02-24)
Meet all four Republican candidates running for Texas Attorney General - CBS Texas (2026-02-24)
In Texas AG race, Middleton runs on conservative, not courtroom, record (2026-02-24)
2026 Texas Attorney General election - Wikipedia (2026-02-24)
Cruz, Paxton Endorsements Upend Race for Texas Attorney General | 2026 | The Texan (2026-02-24)
Four candidates are running in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 3, 2026 - Ballotpedia News (2026-02-24)
Races 2026: Texas Attorney General (Paxton-R open seat) | Texas Business Roundtable (2026-02-24)
Millions pour into GOP Texas attorney general primary (2026-02-24)
Campaign Cash Piles Up in Federal and Statewide Races Ahead of 2026 Primaries | 2026 | The Texan (2026-02-24)
Big money shaping GOP primaries for Texas attorney general, comptroller - The Texas Tribune (2026-02-24)
Attorney General of Texas Election - Transparency USA (2026-02-24)
Meet the Texas AG candidates seeking to replace Ken Paxton (2026-02-24)

Data last verified: Mar 3, 2026 · 20 sources cited

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Data Confidence
✓ Verified backed by official sources (Ballotpedia, Vote Smart, .gov)
Sourced from web sources cited below
AI-inferred generated by AI from available information