Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday endorsed Aaron Reitz, his former deputy attorney general for legal strategy, to replace him in the statewide office as he runs for the Senate, days after Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) launched his bid to become Texas’s next top prosecutor.
This was Paxton’s first time weighing in on the attorney general race. Both Republican candidates previously served under Paxton, but Roy has been outspokenly critical of the incumbent attorney general since he stopped serving as Texas’s first assistant attorney general.
That left Reitz, who maintained a strong relationship with his former boss after leaving the Texas position. Paxton said he was “proud” to endorse Reitz.
“We need someone willing to stand firm when our liberty is under attack,” Paxton wrote on X. “We need someone who will stand strong no matter the threat. Whether that’s big government, big pharma, or big tech. The only person I trust to do that is Aaron Reitz.”
In a statement from Reitz’s campaign, Paxton described him as the “only candidate who is fully vetted, battle-tested, proven, and ready to be Attorney General.”
Reitz thanked Paxton for the endorsement, saying he is “deeply honored to have his support.”
“Under Ken Paxton, Texas has been a shining example for the conservative movement on how to fight and win against the enemies of Law, Order, and Liberty,” Reitz said. “My promise to Texans is that I will keep my foot on the gas and energetically carry on Paxton’s legacy. That is the only way to defend Texas from the radical left. As the only pro-Paxton candidate in this race, I am unequivocally the best person to lead the Office of the Attorney General of Texas into battle.”
The last part of Reitz’s statement appeared to be a dig at Roy, who called for Paxton to resign in 2020 when the Republican attorney general faced allegations of abuse of office and other charges that led to his impeachment trial. Paxton was ultimately acquitted of all impeachment charges in 2023.
Despite their past tensions, Roy said on a recent radio appearance that he and Paxton remain “friends” and he wishes “Ken all the best.”
Instead of seeking reelection in his current position, Paxton is running to oust Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the 2026 midterm elections. His Senate run will leave the attorney general’s office open to competition for the first time in years.
Other Republican challengers in the attorney general’s primary race include Texas state Sens. Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman. On the Democratic side, Texas state Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are running for the job.
TED CRUZ ENDORSES CHIP ROY FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: ‘CLOSE FRIEND AND ALLY’
Soon after Roy announced his campaign last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) backed the congressman in his bid. Cruz called Roy a “close friend and ally of mine for over 12 years,” while also noting he is friends with “several excellent candidates” in the race.
Notably, Cruz employed both Roy and Reitz as his chief of staff. The senator said he chose Roy because he would “always fight for conservative values” in Texas.