Mayes Middleton

Attorney General · Republican Primary 2026

Republican

About ✓ Verified

Oil and gas executive and state senator surging in polls with massive self-funding and strong conservative legislative record. Running as 'MAGA Mayes' with heavy advertising push.

Key Positions ✓ Verified

Deport all illegal immigrants and sue sanctuary cities
Ban transgender athletes from women's sports
Display Ten Commandments in public schools — rejects separation of church and state
Create standalone election integrity task force with law enforcement powers
Criminalize hormone therapy for minors
Aggressively enforce Trump's border security and deportation orders
Fight 'woke mind virus' and radical gender agenda
Modernize child support enforcement systems
Continue culture war fights as 'ideological successor' to Paxton
Authored Save Women's Sports Act and Texas Women's Privacy Act
Put prayer back in public school and Ten Commandments in classrooms

Strengths Sourced

Massive self-funding enables strong campaign
Strong conservative legislative record
Rising momentum in recent polling
Strong grassroots support from True Texas Project

Concerns Sourced

Limited legal experience outside family business
Opponents criticize lack of courtroom experience
Called 'bathroom bigot' by protesters
May lack prosecutorial background for complex AG work

Endorsements ✓ Verified

U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (elected official)
U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (elected official)
U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (elected official)
State Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (elected official)
State Sen. Adam Hinojosa (elected official)
State Rep. Briscoe Cain (elected official)
State Rep. Brian Harrison (elected official)
State Rep. Steve Toth (elected official)
State Rep. Ellen Troxclair (elected official)
State Rep. Carrie Isaac (elected official)
Riley Gaines (public figure)
True Texas Project (political organization)
Young Conservatives of Texas (political organization)
Texas Eagle Forum (advocacy group)
Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian (elected official)
Texas Right to Life PAC (advocacy group)
Moms for America (advocacy group)
Steve McCraw (public figure)

Polling ✓ Verified

38% according to UT/Texas Politics Project poll (Feb. 2-16, 2026, +/-5.7% margin of error), dramatically up from previous 23% in UH Hobby School poll from January. Now virtually tied with Roy within margin of error.

Fundraising ✓ Verified

Nearly $12 million of his own money poured into the race (updated from previous $11.8M). Self-funded ad spending showing results in polling momentum. $5 million cash on hand after massive advertising expenditures.

Sources (20)

In Texas AG race, Middleton runs on conservative, not courtroom, record (2026-02-24)
GOP attorney general candidates tout conservative bona fides at only debate (2026-02-24)
Texas Attorney General election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary) - Ballotpedia (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)
For Texas attorney general, Joan Huffman promises law and order (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)
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