After defeating three Republican primary challengers earlier this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won re-election Tuesday night over Democrat challenger Rochelle Garza, a trial lawyer affiliated with the far-left wing of the American Civil Liberties Union.
As of publishing, Paxton leads 11 percent of the vote over Garza, securing a third term as the state’s top legal officer and ensuring a Republican sweep of statewide candidates on the ballot.
“Just because we won tonight, doesn’t mean the fight is over,” Paxton told a cheering crowd at a victory party hosted by the Collin County Republican Party. “I am so thankful and so grateful to the people of Texas for giving me this opportunity again. I think it’s really important that Texas continues to lead.”
During the campaign, Paxton highlighted Garza’s record of defending human traffickers in court and her attacks on law enforcement at the southern border.
Paxton was first elected as Texas’ attorney general in 2014, after defeating establishment candidate Dan Branch in a Republican primary runoff. He was narrowly re-elected in the 2018 “blue wave” election after running unopposed in the GOP primary.
This year, Paxton finished first in a four-way primary in March. Land Commissioner George P. Bush was a distant second, while U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman tied for last—despite Guzman raising the most campaign cash among the candidates, with much of the money coming from Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
Paxton then easily beat Bush in the May primary runoff.
Prior to being elected attorney general, Paxton served in the Texas Legislature for six years.
