Democrat Nathan Johnson defeated Republican Mayes Middleton in the race for Texas attorney general. As of early Wednesday morning, Johnson had 52.3% of the vote to Middleton's 46%, according to the Associated Press. Johnson will be the first Democrat to hold the office since Dan Morales, who served from 1991 to 1999.
Johnson told KERA in an earlier interview that he would take the office in a different direction. "I would not make it a political stronghold," he said. "It's supposed to be the attorney for the people of the state of Texas, whether they're Democrats or Republicans. There is some damage to undo."
Outgoing Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Obama administration 17 times during the short period they overlapped after Paxton was elected in 2014. He later sued the Biden administration more than 100 times. Paxton also launched an effort to overturn the 2020 election results, which did not succeed.
Middleton, a state senator from the 11th district, said he would keep fighting for conservative causes in office. His campaign ran ads calling him "MAGA Mayes." At the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year, he said, "We need someone in that office like me who will use every resource and tool to back up President Trump and his America First agenda."