Rep. Chip Roy announces run for Texas AG

Well, things are really starting to get interesting in Texas these days.

We are in a knockout fight for the GOP primary, and the AG race just got a lot more interesting, at least for me.

Rep. Chip Roy has announced that he is tossing his name into the ring to replace AG Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate against incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R-TX).

Taking His Shot

I am on the record more times than I can count saying that I am not the biggest fan of Cornyn, but is Paxton really the right guy to run out there?

He thinks so, with the polarizing Texas AG stating, “I’m announcing that I’m running for U.S. Senate against John Cornyn, who apparently is running again for his fifth term, which would put him there three decades. It’s definitely time for a change in Texas.”

He then tried to attach himself to Cruz, stating, “We have another great U.S. senator, Ted Cruz, and it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Trump, Donald Trump, in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way.”

Paxton has more baggage than a department store, but he keeps getting elected to office, so I would never count him out.

Getting Tight

This is a dangerous race for Republicans because neither Paxton nor Cornyn is overly popular, and this primary race is going to have some serious mudslinging, doing the dirty work for Democrat Collin Allred, who is running on the Democrat side of the ticket.

Paxton was spotted a decent lead, but Cornyn has since caught him, and he is raising money like crazy, so it could just be a matter of time before he passes him.

Currently leading the race overall is Allred, which is stunning to me. However, Trump has not yet weighed in. Honestly, if Texas puts a Democrat in the Senate, it would be very difficult for me to remain, as this would be the first real sign that Dems are turning the state.

Matt Taglia, senior director of Emerson College Polling, thinks things will change soon enough, however, stating, “These are two fairly popular Republicans in the state of Texas. People generally know who they are, and they may not be able to make up their minds, as far as which they would prefer, the incumbent senator or the challenger. Now, I think President Trump will certainly have a say in this, and when he does that, will most likely move the needle.”

I’m In

If I am being honest, and I always try to do just that, the last election was bothersome to me because I really wanted someone other than Paxton in the AG spot, but we were not really given a proper alternative, so I begrudgingly pulled the lever for him again.

This time around, however, is a different story, especially after Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) announced he wants in the race.

He stated, “Texans’ next attorney general must have a proven record of fighting to preserve, protect and defend our legacy, an attorney general unafraid to fight, unafraid to win. That’s why I fought to secure our border and help President Trump deliver results.”

I know he is not the most favorite among MAGA supporters, but I am pretty excited to see him in this race, and more so about having far better options this time around. For the first time in a long time, I am really excited about a primary race in Texas.