Texas Democrats will decide May 26 whether former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski or Dallas state Sen. Nathan Johnson will carry the party’s banner for Texas attorney general into November, a race for one of the most powerful legal offices in the country.
The runoff was triggered after no candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 Democratic primary. The winner will face the winner of the Republican attorney general runoff between U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and state Sen. Mayes Middleton in the Nov. 3 general election.
The stakes are substantial. The Texas attorney general is the state’s chief legal officer. The office defends state laws and agencies in court, represents Texas in major litigation, issues legal opinions, approves public bond issues, enforces child support orders, handles consumer protection matters, investigates fraud and abuse, oversees open records disputes, and manages crime victim compensation.
The office also has become a national platform for high-profile lawsuits over immigration, abortion, federal regulation, voting rules, environmental policy and civil rights.
Jaworski, a private mediator and lawyer, served as mayor of Galveston after Hurricane Ike and has pointed to that experience as evidence he can manage a government institution during crisis. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2022.
Jaworski is campaigning on a promise to “restore integrity” to the attorney general’s office. His stated priorities include creating a Division of Affordability, a Division of Elections and Voter Encouragement, and a Division of Ethics and Integrity.
He says the affordability division would use the law to address costs facing young Texans, including student debt, wages, housing and family formation. On elections, he says he would focus on voter access and enforcement of voter registration laws.
Johnson, a Democratic state senator from Dallas County, has served in the Texas Senate since 2019. He has emphasized his legislative record, saying he has authored hundreds of bills and passed more than 130 into law, with work touching energy, water, health care, education, criminal justice, consumer protection, housing and government transparency.
Johnson says his top priority would be rebuilding the attorney general’s office “in talent, purpose, culture, and ethic.” He argues the office should focus on consumer protection, market competition, corruption, respect for the rule of law and a better working relationship with local district and county attorneys. His campaign platform also highlights rooting out corruption, protecting consumers, making communities safer and challenging federal actions he believes violate Texans’ rights or harm the state.
Both candidates are sharply critical of outgoing Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leaving the office to run for U.S. Senate. The two Democrats say the office has become too partisan and too closely identified with ideological litigation. They also say they would be willing to sue the Trump administration when they believe federal actions violate the law or harm Texas.
Early voting in the runoff runs May 18 through May 22. Election Day is Tuesday, May 26.
Guests:
Joe Jaworski is a former mayor of Galveston and a runoff candidate for the Democratic nomination for Texas Attorney General.
Nathan Johnson is a Texas state senator and a runoff candidate for the Democratic nomination for Texas Attorney General.
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