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The 2022 Texas Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022 to elect the Attorney General of Texas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton won re-election to his third term.[1][2][3] Paxton won all but 21 counties and won the popular vote by a margin of 9.7%, underperforming Governor Greg Abbott's concurrent bid for re-election by 1.1%.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in runoff

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Endorsements

George P. Bush
U.S. Executive Branch officials
State senators
Local officials
Newspapers
Organizations
Individuals
Ken Paxton
Eva Guzman
Newspaper and other media
Organizations
  • Texans for Lawsuit Reform[8]
Louie Gohmert
State representatives

First round

Polling

Graphical summary
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
George P.
Bush
Louie
Gohmert
Eva
Guzman
Matt
Krause
Ken
Paxton
OtherUndecided
Emerson CollegeFebruary 21–22, 2022522 (LV)± 4.2%20%12%12%43%14%
UT TylerFebruary 8–15, 2022577 (LV)± 4.4%25%7%13%39%16%
YouGov/UTJanuary 28 – February 7, 2022375 (LV)± 5.1%21%15%16%47%1%
UT TylerJanuary 18–25, 2022503 (LV)± 5.1%19%8%7%33%33%
YouGov/UHJanuary 14–24, 2022490 (LV)± 3.7%16%13%8%39%24%
November 23, 2021Krause withdraws from the race
UT TylerNovember 9–16, 2021401 (LV)± 5.3%32%7%46%7%8%
YouGov/UT/TTOctober 22–31, 2021554 (RV)± 4.2%16%2%3%48%3%27%
YouGov/TXHPFOctober 14–27, 2021405 (LV)± 4.9%17%6%2%50%25%
UT TylerSeptember 7–14, 2021348 (LV)± 6.7%28%5%43%14%10%
UT TylerJune 20–29, 2021337 (LV)± 6.1%34%4%42%12%8%

Results

Primary results map by county:
  Paxton
  •   30–40%
      40–50%
      50–60%
      60–70%
  Bush
  •   30–40%
      40–50%
      50–60%
  Gohmert
  •   30–40%
      40–50%
      50–60%
      60–70%

Gohmert performed best in Texas's 1st congressional district, where he served as a US representative at the time; Guzman performed best in urban Travis, Harris, and Dallas counties; Bush performed best in the Rio Grande Valley; and Paxton performed best in the Texas Panhandle, South Plains, and Southeast Texas.[23]

Republican primary results[24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanKen Paxton (incumbent) 823,199 42.71%
RepublicanGeorge P. Bush 439,240 22.79%
RepublicanEva Guzman337,76117.52%
RepublicanLouie Gohmert327,25716.98%
Total votes1,927,457 100.00%

Runoff

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
George P.
Bush
Ken
Paxton
Undecided
UT TylerMay 2–10, 2022570 (LV)± 4.6%35%41%24%
CWS Research (R)[A]May 4–10, 2022992 (LV)± 3.1%31%58%11%
CWS Research (R)[A]March 29 – April 2, 2022678 (LV)± 3.8%30%59%11%
YouGov/TXHPFMarch 18–28, 2022438 (LV)± 4.7%23%65%12%

Results

Primary runoff results map by county:
  Paxton
  •   50–60%
      60–70%
      70–80%
      80–90%
      90–100%
  Bush
  •   50–60%
      70–80%
      80–90%
Republican primary runoff results[26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanKen Paxton (incumbent) 633,223 67.96%
RepublicanGeorge P. Bush298,57732.04%
Total votes931,800 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in runoff

Eliminated in primary

Declined

Endorsements

Joe Jaworski
Labor unions
Newspapers and other media
Organizations
Lee Merritt
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
State senators
Local officials
Organizations
  • Texas Organizing Project[41] (endorse Garza in the runoff)
U.S. Representatives
Local officials
  • Mike Fields, former judge of the Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 14 and former Attorney General candidate[31]
Newspapers and other media
Individuals
  • Lee Merritt, civil rights attorney and former Attorney General candidate[31]
Labor unions
Organizations

First round

Polling

Graphical summary
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Mike
Fields
Rochelle
Garza
Joe
Jaworski
Lee
Merritt
S. T-Bone
Raynor
OtherUndecided
Emerson CollegeFebruary 21–22, 2022388 (LV)± 4.9%5%30%22%16%5%22%
UT TylerFebruary 8–15, 2022479 (LV)± 4.9%9%22%13%9%6%42%
YouGov/UTJanuary 28 – February 7, 2022332 (LV)± 5.4%11%41%24%15%6%3%
UT TylerJanuary 18–25, 2022460 (LV)± 5.4%7%11%11%6%4%61%
YouGov/UHJanuary 14–24, 2022616 (LV)± 3.3%6%13%10%7%6%57%
YouGov/UT/TTOctober 22–31, 2021436 (RV)± 4.7%14%8%6%72%
YouGov/TXHPFOctober 14–27, 2021– (LV)20%20%60%

Results

Democratic primary results[24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticRochelle Mercedes Garza 438,134 42.97%
DemocraticJoe Jaworski 202,140 19.82%
DemocraticLee Merritt198,10819.43%
DemocraticMike Fields125,37312.30%
DemocraticS. T-Bone Raynor55,9445.49%
Total votes1,019,699 100.00%

Runoff

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Rochelle
Garza
Joe
Jaworski
Undecided
UT TylerMay 2–10, 2022501 (LV)± 4.9%35%20%46%
YouGov/TXHPFMarch 18–28, 2022435 (LV)± 4.7%46%31%23%

Results

Democratic primary runoff results[26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticRochelle Mercedes Garza 305,168 62.67%
DemocraticJoe Jaworski181,74437.33%
Total votes486,912 100.00%

Libertarian convention

Declared

General election

On October 27, 2022, Libertarian nominee Mark Ash published an op-ed in The Amarillo Pioneer in which he blasted Ken Paxton as "the poster child for corruption and authoritarianism" and recommended that if voters were "reluctant to throw away their votes on a third-party candidate," they should vote for Democratic nominee Rochelle Garza instead. The Texas Democratic Party put out a statement claiming that Ash had endorsed Garza, but Ash clarified that he was not endorsing her, nor would he be dropping out of the race.[55]

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[56]Leans RNovember 3, 2022
Elections Daily[57]Likely RNovember 1, 2022

Polling

Graphical summary
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Ken
Paxton (R)
Rochelle
Garza (D)
Mark
Ash (L)
OtherUndecided
CWS Research (R)[A]November 2–5, 2022786 (LV)± 3.5%44%38%5%12%
UT TylerOctober 17–24, 20221,330 (RV)± 2.9%39%35%5%4%[b]18%
973 (LV)± 3.4%42%38%4%3%[c]12%
Emerson CollegeOctober 17–19, 20221,000 (LV)± 3.0%47%42%4%8%
Siena CollegeOctober 16–19, 2022649 (LV)± 5.1%48%42%2%[d]8%
ActiVoteJune 23 – September 21, 2022209 (LV)± 7.0%45%43%12%
Siena CollegeSeptember 14–18, 2022651 (LV)± 4.4%47%42%11%
Texas Hispanic Policy FoundationSeptember 6–15, 20221,172 (LV)± 2.9%47%42%3%8%
UT TylerSeptember 7–13, 20221,243 (RV)± 2.9%37%30%6%6%[e]20%
YouGov/UTAugust 26 – September 6, 20221,200 (RV)± 2.8%38%33%4%5%[f]21%
YouGov/UH/TSUAugust 11–29, 20221,312 (LV)± 2.7%45%42%3%10%
UT TylerAugust 1–7, 20221,384 (RV)± 2.8%34%32%8%7%18%
1,199 (LV)± 3.0%36%34%8%6%16%
YouGov/UHJune 27 – July 7, 20221,169 (RV)± 2.9%43%40%5%12%
1,006 (LV)± 3.1%46%41%4%9%
YouGov/UTJune 16–24, 20221,200 (RV)± 2.8%37%29%5%5%24%
YouGov/TXHPFMarch 18–28, 20221,139 (LV)± 2.6%48%42%3%7%
Hypothetical polling
George P. Bush vs. Rochelle Garza
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
George P.
Bush (R)
Rochelle
Garza (D)
Mark
Ash (L)
Undecided
YouGov/TXHPFMarch 18–28, 20221,139 (LV)± 2.6%39%39%7%15%
George P. Bush vs. Joe Jaworski
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
George P.
Bush (R)
Joe
Jaworski (D)
Mark
Ash (L)
Undecided
YouGov/TXHPFMarch 18–28, 20221,139 (LV)± 2.6%38%39%8%15%
Ken Paxton vs. Joe Jaworski
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Ken
Paxton (R)
Joe
Jaworski (D)
Mark
Ash (L)
Undecided
YouGov/TXHPFMarch 18–28, 20221,139 (LV)± 2.6%48%41%3%8%
Ken Paxton vs. Justin Nelson
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Ken
Paxton (R)
Justin
Nelson (D)
Undecided
Data for Progress (D)[B]September 15–22, 2020726 (LV)± 3.6%41%37%22%

Results

2022 Texas Attorney General election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanKen Paxton (incumbent) 4,278,986 53.42% +2.85%
DemocraticRochelle Garza3,497,26743.66%-3.35%
LibertarianMark Ash233,7502.92%+0.49%
Total votes8,010,003 100.00%
Republican hold
State Senate district results
State House district results

By congressional district

Paxton won 25 of 38 congressional districts.[58]

DistrictPaxtonGarzaRepresentative
1st76%22%Louie Gohmert (117th Congress)
Nathaniel Moran (118th Congress)
2nd61%36%Dan Crenshaw
3rd57%39%Van Taylor (117th Congress)
Keith Self (118th Congress)
4th64%33%Pat Fallon
5th62%35%Lance Gooden
6th63%34%Jake Ellzey
7th35%63%Lizzie Fletcher
8th66%32%Kevin Brady (117th Congress)
Morgan Luttrell (118th Congress)
9th23%75%Al Green
10th60%37%Michael McCaul
11th72%25%August Pfluger
12th58%38%Kay Granger
13th73%24%Ronny Jackson
14th65%32%Randy Weber
15th51%47%Vicente Gonzalez (117th Congress)
Monica De La Cruz (118th Congress)
16th34%63%Veronica Escobar
17th63%34%Pete Sessions
18th25%72%Sheila Jackson Lee
19th75%23%Jodey Arrington
20th32%65%Joaquín Castro
21st59%38%Chip Roy
22nd59%39%Troy Nehls
23rd53%44%Tony Gonzales
24th55%41%Beth Van Duyne
25th66%31%Roger Williams
26th59%37%Michael Burgess
27th62%35%Michael Cloud
28th45%52%Henry Cuellar
29th30%68%Sylvia Garcia
30th21%76%Eddie Bernice Johnson (117th Congress)
Jasmine Crockett (118th Congress)
31st59%37%John Carter
32nd33%64%Colin Allred
33rd25%72%Marc Veasey
34th41%57%Mayra Flores (117th Congress)
Vicente Gonzalez (118th Congress)
35th25%72%Lloyd Doggett (117th Congress)
Greg Casar (118th Congress)
36th67%31%Brian Babin
37th20%77%Lloyd Doggett
38th60%38%Wesley Hunt

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ^ "Someone else" with 4%
  3. ^ "Someone else" with 3%
  4. ^ "Another candidate" with 1%; "Not going to vote" with 1%
  5. ^ "Someone else" with 6%
  6. ^ "Someone else" with 5%
Partisan clients
  1. ^ a b c Poll sponsored by Defend Texas Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton
  2. ^ Poll sponsored by the Defend Students Action Fund

See also

References

  1. ^ Barragan, James (November 8, 2022). "Ken Paxton wins third term as attorney general, beating Democrat Rochelle Garza". Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "TEXAS". Stateageelections.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Gates, Billy (June 10, 2021). "Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announces bid for re-election in 2022". Kxan.com. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  4. ^ @DecisionDeskHQ (May 25, 2022). "Decision Desk HQ projects Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) is the winner of the Republican nomination for Attorney General…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "George P. Bush announces bid for Texas attorney general". The Hill. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Roy, Reagan (November 22, 2021). "IT'S OFFICIAL: US Rep. Louie Gohmert announces he's running for Texas Attorney General". CBS. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "George P. Bush, Ken Paxton prepare for a bitter primary runoff battle for Texas attorney general". March 3, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Patrick, Svitek (June 21, 2021). "Eva Guzman, former Texas Supreme Court justice, officially starts campaign for attorney general". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 23, 2021). "Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general's race to run for Tarrant County district attorney". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "George P. Bush Scrubs Endorsement From Indicted Sheriff Linked to the Oath Keepers". Rolling Stone. November 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Wildstein, David (November 15, 2021). "Bramnick raising money for George P. Bush in Texas race". Newjerseyglobe.com.
  12. ^ "HANAK ENDORSES GEORGE P. BUSH FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL". Kwhi.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "ACU seeks political balance, but Texas AG candidate Merritt on historic mission". Abilene Reporter News. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Time to vote in attorney general, Tarrant DA runoffs. Here are our recommendations". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Editorial: Our recommendations for the Texas runoff elections". San Antonio Express-News. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Mattress Mack shoots ad endorsing George P. Bush for Texas AG". March 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Ward, Myah (July 26, 2021). "Trump endorses scandal-plagued Ken Paxton for Texas attorney general". Politico. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC) announced its endorsement of Ken Paxton for re-election as Texas Attorney General". American Conservative Union. January 24, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  19. ^ "2022 General Election Endorsements". August 18, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  20. ^ "Editorial: We recommend Eva Guzman for Texas Attorney General in the Republican primary". Houston Chronicle. February 13, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Editorial: In AG races, we recommend Guzman in GOP primary, Garza for Dems". Austin American-Statesman. February 20, 2022.
  22. ^ Taylor, Goldenstein (November 22, 2021). "State Rep. Matt Krause decides to run for Tarrant District Attorney, not Texas AG". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Results | 2022 March 1st Republican Primary". Secretary of State of Texas.
  24. ^ a b "Candidate Information". Texas Secretary of State John B. Scott. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Astudillo, Carla (March 10, 2022) [March 1, 2022]. "Election results: How Texas voted in the 2022 primary". Decision Desk HQ. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Texas Election Results - Unofficial Results - Attorney General". Secretary of State of Texas.
  27. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 1, 2021). "Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  28. ^ Grieder, Erica (September 16, 2020). "Grieder: Texas AG Paxton draws 2022 challenger who vows to work across the aisle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  29. ^ Bureau, Austin; Goldenstein, Taylor (January 6, 2022). "Once a Republican, ex-Harris County judge Mike Fields running for Texas AG as a Democrat". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt concedes dem AG primary loss, endorses Rochelle Garza". March 10, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c d Barragan, James; Zhang, Andrew (March 10, 2022). "Democrat Lee Merritt suspends campaign for attorney general nine days after election day, clearing path for runoff". Texas Tribune.
  32. ^ Svitek, Patrick (July 13, 2021). "Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, a Democrat, launches campaign against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton". Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  33. ^ "Qualified Candidates". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  34. ^ "BIDEN AND TRUMP ARE RUNNING NECK AND NECK IN ARIZONA, FLORIDA, AND TEXAS" (PDF). Filesforprogress.org. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  35. ^ "Texas AFL-CIO COPE Releases New Round of Runoff Endorsements". Texas AFL–CIO. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "March 1 Democratic Primary Endorsements (No Filler)". The Austin Chronicle. February 10, 2022.
  37. ^ "Opinion: We recommend in the Democratic primary for Texas attorney general". The Dallas Morning News. February 10, 2022. We recommend Galveston lawyer Joe Jaworski in this crowded Democratic primary for Texas attorney general.
  38. ^ The Editorial Board (February 13, 2022). "Editorial: We recommend Joe Jaworski for Texas Attorney General in Democratic primary". Houston Chronicle.
  39. ^ "Voting / Endorsements". Stonewall Democrats of Dallas.
  40. ^ a b c d Barragán, James (February 23, 2022). "Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt takes heat for lack of Texas law license in his bid for attorney general". The Texas Tribune.
  41. ^ Sessions, Kennedy (December 17, 2021). "Texas Organizing Project endorses Merritt for AG". Texas Signal. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  42. ^ a b "Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign". Texas Tribune. November 1, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  43. ^ "Texas AFL-CIO COPE Finalizes Nov. 8 Endorsements". Texas AFL–CIO. June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  44. ^ "2022 ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS". Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  45. ^ "Endorsed Leaders - Annie's List". Annie's List.
  46. ^ "State and Local Candidates". EMILY's List. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  47. ^ a b "End Citizens United // Let America Vote Endorses Rochelle Garza for Texas Attorney General". July 12, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  48. ^ "Equality Texas endorses Garza for Texas AG". September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  49. ^ "Latino Victory Fund endorses Rochelle Garza for Texas Attorney General". Texas Signal. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  50. ^ "NARAL Pro-Choice America endorses Rochelle Garza for Texas Attorney General". NARAL Pro-Choice America. February 24, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  51. ^ "Texas College Democrats endorse candidates for statewide office". January 19, 2022.
  52. ^ "2022 Primary Runoff Endorsements". Planned Parenthood.
  53. ^ "TOP PAC Endorses Rochelle Garza for TX Attorney General". April 5, 2022.
  54. ^ Dikeman, Neal (April 11, 2022). "Texas Libertarians & Greens Nominate Statewide Candidates for November". www.texasfreepress.com. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  55. ^ "Libertarian Mark Ash recommends Rochelle Garza over Ken Paxton in Texas AG race". October 29, 2022.
  56. ^ "The Attorneys General: A Dozen Races Dot the Competitive Landscape". Sabato's Crystal Ball. September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  57. ^ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  58. ^ @averyhatestwt (March 10, 2023). "TX Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General results by CD; I'm not sure if this has already been done but I haven't seen it before" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links

Official campaign websites