Mayes Middleton Pumps $14M Into AG Runoff Against Chip Roy

Mayes Middleton self-funded nearly $14 million of his more than $15 million haul in the Texas attorney general GOP primary, dwarfing Chip Roy's $4.7 million raise as they head to a May 26 runoff. State Sen. Middleton (R-Galveston) took 39.2% in the March 3 first round to lead the field, while U.S. Rep. Roy (R-Austin) grabbed 31.7%. The cash gap gives Middleton firepower to replace Ken Paxton, who jumped to the U.S. Senate race, in a contest testing MAGA loyalty against D.C. tenure.

Middleton's Money Buys Airtime, Not Experience

Middleton, an oil and gas executive turned senator, poured his personal fortune into the race, outspending Roy three-to-one. That $14 million self-fund covers relentless TV ads branding him "MAGA Mayes" and hammering Roy's votes against Trump priorities. Roy counters by spotlighting Middleton's thin legal resume: no courtroom time as attorney general material. Houston Public Media reports the barrage has turned the runoff nasty eight weeks out.

The table shows why no majority forced this showdown. Joan Huffman and Aaron Reitz, a former DOJ official, split the field enough to send Middleton and Roy forward, per New York Times coverage.

Election Stance Splits the Ticket

Election integrity divides the duo sharply. A January Texas Tribune Q&A captured their views before the primary. Middleton, drawing from public statements, labeled the 2020 election stolen and vowed to prosecute voting crimes first. Roy acknowledged fraud worries but faulted past legal plays as sloppy strategy. Reitz went furthest, deeming 2020 outright illegitimate.

Now Reitz backs Middleton post-elimination, handing him an edge with hardliners. Texas Tribune confirms the nod, which amplifies Middleton's prosecutorial pitch. Roy, a House firebrand, leans on federal probes he championed, but Middleton paints him as soft on Trump-era fights.

Lawsuits Define the AG Job They Want

Both pledge aggressive suits, but targets differ. The Tribune survey probed suing big business and enforcing Texas laws nationwide. Roy touts his role pushing border cases and tech crackdowns from Congress. Middleton promises to wield the office like Paxton: chasing out-of-state companies on DEI policies or abortion pills.

Middleton skipped the Q&A directly, so reporters pulled his record: backing Paxton's border wall suits and casino bans. Roy criticizes overreach, favoring targeted hits on federal oversteps. Their overlap on voter ID enforcement masks the style gap. Middleton wants Paxton 2.0; Roy eyes a scalpel over sledgehammer.

Fundraising tells the urgency. Middleton's war chest funds ground games in Houston and Dallas suburbs, where Paxton won big in 2022. Roy pulls small donors with Freedom Caucus cred, but lags in ad buys. Texas Scorecard tallies show Middleton's self-fund as the equalizer against Roy's network.

Runoff Tests Paxton's Shadow

Paxton's Senate bid leaves a void: 1,400 lawsuits filed, $10 million in settlements chased. Voters pick his heir May 26. Early polls give Middleton a 5-point edge from name ID and cash, but Roy closes with conservatives wary of executive novices. Absentee ballots drop April 28; full results certify June 2.

Reitz's switch bolsters Middleton's claim as the purer election hawk. Roy must prove D.C. fights translate to Austin courtrooms. The winner faces a Democrat November 3, but first survives this intra-party knife fight.