In December, a group of transgender individuals gathered at the Texas Capitol to challenge a newly enacted law that limits their restroom access. They held signs branding state Senator Mayes Middleton, the bill’s sponsor, as the “bathroom bigot.”
For Middleton, this protest presented an ideal campaign opportunity. In a campaign advertisement, he proclaimed, “I’m the only one in this attorney general’s race that’s been protested this year at the Texas Capitol,” concluding with the slogan, “Mayes Middleton: Kicking perverted men out of women’s restrooms and locker rooms.”
His approach of championing fringe conservative legislation and provoking controversy has become a cornerstone of his campaign for Texas Attorney General. The Galveston Republican aims to transfer his zeal for culture war battles to the attorney general’s office, positioning himself as the ideological heir to conservative figure Ken Paxton, who is contesting for a U.S. Senate seat.
Middleton, a prolific donor within the GOP who has leveraged his oil and gas wealth to forge party alliances, has invested $11 million in his campaign. He has received numerous key endorsements and is closely aligning himself with former President Donald Trump through a barrage of television advertisements, mailers, and text messages, branding himself as “MAGA Mayes.”
However, Middleton faces criticism from other Republican contenders who highlight his limited legal experience. Two of his opponents have held high-ranking positions within the agency they aspire to lead, while a third has experience as a prosecutor and judge. They have not hesitated to contrast their qualifications with Middleton’s background, which predominantly involves working for his family’s oil and gas business.
“We can’t have some child who’s never practiced law before in his life and is pretending to be a lawyer for the first time ever, who inherited his dad’s oil company, be the next attorney general,” stated Aaron Reitz, a former Texas deputy attorney general and one of Middleton’s rivals.
Though Middleton did not respond to requests for comments, his supporters, including a broad array of right-wing officials and advocacy groups, argue that his track record of advancing conservative causes suffices to earn their trust. “We’ve been able to count on him to pass laws that have strong enforcement mechanisms,” remarked Jonathan Saenz of the conservative group Texas Values Action. “That tells us that we can count on him to follow through and enforce these types of laws when he gets elected Attorney General.”
A Conservative Record
Mayes Middleton, a Republican from Wallisville, initially dedicated his career to his family’s lucrative oil and gas enterprise. However, according to his wife, Macy, the birth of their children sparked a significant shift in his priorities. “He stopped thinking so much about the present and he started thinking more about the future,” she explained in a 2018 video, noting his growing involvement in conservative reforms.
Middleton began donating to political candidates, joined boards of conservative advocacy organizations like Empower Texans and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and eventually became secretary of the Chambers County GOP.
In 2018, he launched a campaign for the Texas House against fellow Republican Wayne Faircloth, who had faced backlash for criticizing Governor Greg Abbott for appointing donors to key positions. Middleton capitalized on his identity as a businessman and oil executive, emphasizing his Christian values, commitment to fiscal responsibility, and advocacy for free enterprise. With support from Abbott and Empower Texans, alongside a personal investment of $1 million, he secured victory.
One of his first actions in office was to introduce legislation prohibiting cities, counties, and school districts from using public funds for lobbying purposes. Fellow Republican Rep. Steve Toth recalled being impressed by Middleton’s boldness. “The very first thing he did was take a shot at the swamp,” Toth noted.
Although the bill faced criticism for potentially silencing smaller governments, Middleton persisted, reintroducing it in subsequent sessions along with numerous other failed initiatives aimed at promoting Christian values in public spaces, easing gun restrictions, eliminating property taxes, and tightening voting regulations.
His personal wealth and commitment to partisan causes have solidified his influence within a rapidly rightward-shifting party. After serving two terms in the House, Middleton opted to run for the Senate in 2022.
When incumbent Republican Larry Taylor learned of Middleton’s interest in his seat, he attempted to dissuade him, explaining, “I tried to tell him, I’m just going to go one more time, why don’t you wait?” Ultimately, Taylor withdrew from the race, allowing Middleton to secure an effortless win.
Once in the Senate, Middleton quickly aligned himself with the far-right faction, coinciding with a surge in support for many of the issues he championed. He successfully passed significant legislation prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in high school and college sports, as well as a measure allowing chaplains to serve as school guidance counselors.
In the most recent legislative session, he reintroduced a bill permitting schools to allocate class time for prayer and Bible study. During a Senate debate, he proudly displayed a letter from the American Atheists denouncing the proposal, while facing questions regarding its legality from Senator Sarah Eckhardt. “You don’t think that’s a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution?” Eckhardt challenged. “No,” Middleton replied calmly. “Because there’s no such thing as separation of church and state.”
The bill ultimately passed both chambers despite vocal opposition from Democrats and organizations advocating for religious freedom.
“I want more conservative policy. I want to move the ball down the field for our great state,” Middleton expressed in an interview with Texas Scorecard last year. “Sometimes you have to challenge those … that are in the way of it. And I have done that over and over.”
For conservative factions observing their influence grow in the Capitol, Middleton has emerged as a much-needed champion, funding right-wing candidates and initiatives, providing public backing, and leading legislative efforts.
“It’s not just his willingness to have a strong voting record and vote the right way, but to prioritize the issues that matter the most to us, file legislation and be a leader on it,” Saenz commented. “And not just, ‘I’m filing because I care about it,’ but ‘I’m putting all my effort into getting it done.’”
Opponents Question Legal Experience
After Paxton declared his Senate candidacy, Middleton plunged into the race for attorney general, bolstered by a $10 million personal investment. While this was a risk, as it meant foregoing reelection to the Senate, he quickly garnered endorsements from a multitude of legislators, party leaders, and grassroots organizations.
While U.S. Representative Chip Roy has emerged as the frontrunner in name recognition, Middleton aims to leverage his advertising campaign to secure a spot in a runoff.
Reitz and fellow Senator Joan Huffman are working to outmaneuver him, focusing on his lack of legal experience. Huffman remarked that voters seek an experienced attorney, “not someone who’s never seen the inside of a courtroom.” At a recent campaign event, Reitz, who formerly worked for the Department of Justice, emphasized that the attorney general role is fundamentally a legal position.
“So if you hear candidates up here today talking about a legislative record, ask them if they’re running for reelection to the Legislature,” he stated. “Me, I’m running on my legal record.”
While the Texas Constitution does not mandate that the attorney general be a lawyer, the position has historically been held by individuals with legal backgrounds. Previous officeholders included state Supreme Court justices who aimed to advocate in high-profile cases and lead brief drafting efforts. Other attorneys general have been politicians who primarily utilized their legal training in legislative roles.
Middleton meets the basic qualifications to run; he graduated from the University of Texas law school and is registered with the State Bar of Texas. Nonetheless, his opponents contend that their credentials align more closely with the responsibilities of the position.
Roy, for instance, served as Paxton’s chief advisor, aiding in the office’s development after Paxton’s election. Reitz, Paxton’s former deputy attorney general, spearheaded nearly 50 challenges against the Biden administration, while Huffman has experience as a prosecutor and judge.
Reitz has publicly highlighted Middleton’s relatively limited understanding of the agency’s operations. At a campaign forum, Middleton claimed he would modernize child support enforcement systems and relocate those jobs outside of Austin, suggesting a political bias among employees. “There’s about an 80% chance [employees] voted for Kamala Harris for president,” he stated.
Reitz countered that the agency is already transitioning to a cloud-based system and that a significant portion of its staff works remotely. He also ridiculed Middleton’s proposal to establish an anti-corruption division within the attorney general’s office. “That’s an applause line,” Reitz remarked. “These divisions exist, and I’m the only one who has supervised them [and] led them into legal combat.”
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