Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is reportedly eyeing a campaign to run for Texas attorney general, the latest Lone Star State leader to consider a career change ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Sources told the Hill that Roy, a vocal member of the Freedom Caucus and staunch fiscal hawk, has discussed possibly running for the position. The current attorney general, Republican Ken Paxton, is challenging incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the primary.
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“I’m always considering where I can best serve the people I represent to ensure we preserve and protect a free, secure, and prosperous Texas for generations to come,” Roy, who’s served in the House since 2019, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Roy has been instrumental in pushing a conservative agenda in the House over the last year. He has fought many battles with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he navigates a razor-thin majority and balances demands from his right and centrist flanks on contentious legislation.
Before serving as a congressman of Texas’s 21st District, Roy was chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and staff director for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Cornyn. In 2014, he served as the assistant attorney general under Paxton.
If he jumps into the attorney general race, Roy would face state Sens. Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman. Also in the race is Aaron Reitz, who formerly served as the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department.
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Paxton has held the position since 2014, and 2026 will be the first cycle in over 10 years in which the attorney general post will be up for grabs.
If Roy departs the House, his seat will likely remain in Republican hands, as a Democrat hasn’t held it since the 1970s.