2022 Texas Attorney General election
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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 233 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%.
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November 8, 2022
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| Turnout | 36.6% ( 5.0%) | ||||||||||||||||
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   Paxton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Garza: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Ken Paxton, incumbent attorney general[2][4]
Eliminated in runoff
- George P. Bush, commissioner of the Texas General Land Office[5]
Eliminated in primary
- Louie Gohmert, U.S. representative for Texas's 1st congressional district[6] (declined to endorse in runoff)[7]
- Eva Guzman, former associate justice of the Supreme Court of Texas (2009–2021)[8]
Withdrawn
- Matt Krause, state representative from the 93rd district (running for Tarrant County district attorney; endorsed Gohmert)[9]
Endorsements
George P. Bush
U.S. executive branch officials
- James Baker, former White House Chief of Staff (1981–1985, 1992–1993), former U.S. Secretary of State (1989–1992) and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1985–1988)[10]
State senators
- Jon Bramnick, New Jersey state senator (2022–present) and former state assemblyman (2003–2022) from the 21st district[11]
Local officials
- Otto Hanak, Washington County sheriff (2013–present)[12]
- Jeffrey Lyde, Clay County sheriff[10]
- Anthony Williams, mayor of Abilene (2017–present)[13]
Newspapers
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram[14] (dual endorsement with Garza)
- San Antonio Express-News[15] (dual endorsement with Garza)
Organizations
Individuals
- Mattress Mack, businessman[16]
Ken Paxton
U.S. executive branch officials
- Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)[17]
Organizations
Eva Guzman
Newspapers and other media
- Austin American-Statesman[20] (Republican primary only)
- The Houston Chronicle[21] (Republican primary only)
Organizations
- Texans for Lawsuit Reform[8]
Louie Gohmert
State representatives
- Matt Krause, state representative from the 93rd district (2013–present) and withdrawn candidate[22]
First round
Polling
Graphical summary
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
George P. Bush |
Louie Gohmert |
Eva Guzman |
Matt Krause |
Ken Paxton |
Other | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[23] | February 21–22, 2022 | 522 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 20% | 12% | 12% | – | 43% | – | 14% | ||||||
| UT Tyler[24] | February 8–15, 2022 | 577 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 25% | 7% | 13% | – | 39% | – | 16% | ||||||
| YouGov/UT[25] | January 28 – February 7, 2022 | 375 (LV) | ± 5.1% | 21% | 15% | 16% | – | 47% | 1% | – | ||||||
| UT Tyler[26] | January 18–25, 2022 | 503 (LV) | ± 5.1% | 19% | 8% | 7% | – | 33% | – | 33% | ||||||
| YouGov/UH[27] | January 14–24, 2022 | 490 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 16% | 13% | 8% | – | 39% | – | 24% | ||||||
| Krause withdraws from the race | ||||||||||||||||
| UT Tyler[28] | November 9–16, 2021 | 401 (LV) | ± 5.3% | 32% | – | 7% | – | 46% | 7% | 8% | ||||||
| YouGov/UT/TT[29] | October 22–31, 2021 | 554 (RV) | ± 4.2% | 16% | – | 2% | 3% | 48% | 3% | 27% | ||||||
| YouGov/TXHPF[30] | October 14–27, 2021 | 405 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 17% | – | 6% | 2% | 50% | – | 25% | ||||||
| UT Tyler[31] | September 7–14, 2021 | 348 (LV) | ± 6.7% | 28% | – | 5% | – | 43% | 14% | 10% | ||||||
| UT Tyler[32] | June 20–29, 2021 | 337 (LV) | ± 6.1% | 34% | – | 4% | – | 42% | 12% | 8% | ||||||
Results
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 U.S. 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.[33]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Paxton (incumbent) | 823,199 | 42.71% | |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 439,240 | 22.79% | |
| Republican | Eva Guzman | 337,761 | 17.52% | |
| Republican | Louie Gohmert | 327,257 | 16.98% | |
| Total votes | 1,927,457 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
George P. Bush |
Ken Paxton |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT Tyler[36] | May 2–10, 2022 | 570 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 35% | 41% | 24% |
| CWS Research (R)[37][A] | May 4–10, 2022 | 992 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 31% | 58% | 11% |
| CWS Research (R)[38][A] | March 29 – April 2, 2022 | 678 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 30% | 59% | 11% |
| YouGov/TXHPF[39] | March 18–28, 2022 | 438 (LV) | ± 4.7% | 23% | 65% | 12% |
Results
Paxton
- 50–60%60–70%70–80%80–90%90–100%
Bush
- 50–60%70–80%80–90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Paxton (incumbent) | 633,223 | 67.96% | |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 298,577 | 32.04% | |
| Total votes | 931,800 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Rochelle Mercedes Garza, former attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union[41]
Eliminated in runoff
- Joe Jaworski, attorney, mediator, former mayor of Galveston, and grandson of former U.S. Department of Justice special counsel Leon Jaworski[42]
Eliminated in primary
- Mike Fields, attorney and former judge of the Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 14[43] (endorsed Garza in runoff)[44][45]
- Lee Merritt, civil rights attorney[46] (endorsed Garza in runoff)[44][45]
- S. T-Bone Raynor, attorney[47]
Endorsements
Joe Jaworski
Labor unions
Newspapers and other media
- The Austin Chronicle[49] (dual endorsement with Garza)
- The Dallas Morning News[50]
- The Houston Chronicle[51] (Democratic primary only)
Organizations
- Stonewall Democrats of Dallas[52]
Lee Merritt
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
- Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. representative for Texas's 18th congressional district[53]
State senators
- Royce West, state senator from the 23rd district[53]
Local officials
- Sylvester Turner, mayor of Houston and former Texas state representative from the 139th district[53]
Organizations
- Texas Organizing Project[54] (endorsed Garza in the runoff)
Rochelle Mercedes Garza
U.S. representatives
- Vicente González, U.S. representative for Texas's 15th congressional district[55]
- Filemón Vela, U.S. representative for Texas's 34th congressional district[55]
Local officials
- Mike Fields, former judge of the Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 14 and former attorney general candidate[45]
Newspapers and other media
- Austin American-Statesman[20] (Democratic primary only)
- The Austin Chronicle[49] (dual endorsement with Jaworski)
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram[14] (dual endorsement with Bush)
- San Antonio Express-News[15] (dual endorsement with Bush)
Individuals
- Lee Merritt, civil rights attorney and former attorney general candidate[45]
Labor unions
Organizations
- Annie's List[58]
- EMILY's List[59]
- End Citizens United[60]
- Equality Texas[61]
- Latino Victory Fund[62]
- NARAL Pro-Choice America[63]
- Planned Parenthood Texas Votes[64]
- Texas College Democrats[65]
- Texas Organizing Project[66]
First round
Polling
Graphical summary
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Mike Fields |
Rochelle Garza |
Joe Jaworski |
Lee Merritt |
S. T-Bone Raynor |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[23] | February 21–22, 2022 | 388 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 5% | 30% | 22% | 16% | 5% | – | 22% |
| UT Tyler[24] | February 8–15, 2022 | 479 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 9% | 22% | 13% | 9% | 6% | – | 42% |
| YouGov/UT[25] | January 28 – February 7, 2022 | 332 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 11% | 41% | 24% | 15% | 6% | 3% | – |
| UT Tyler[26] | January 18–25, 2022 | 460 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 7% | 11% | 11% | 6% | 4% | – | 61% |
| YouGov/UH[27] | January 14–24, 2022 | 616 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 6% | 13% | 10% | 7% | 6% | – | 57% |
| YouGov/UT/TT[29] | October 22–31, 2021 | 436 (RV) | ± 4.7% | – | – | 14% | 8% | – | 6% | 72% |
| YouGov/TXHPF[30] | October 14–27, 2021 | – (LV) | – | – | – | 20% | 20% | – | – | 60% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rochelle Mercedes Garza | 438,134 | 42.97% | |
| Democratic | Joe Jaworski | 202,140 | 19.82% | |
| Democratic | Lee Merritt | 198,108 | 19.43% | |
| Democratic | Mike Fields | 125,373 | 12.30% | |
| Democratic | S. T-Bone Raynor | 55,944 | 5.49% | |
| Total votes | 1,019,699 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rochelle Mercedes Garza | 305,168 | 62.67% | |
| Democratic | Joe Jaworski | 181,744 | 37.33% | |
| Total votes | 486,912 | 100.00% | ||
Libertarian convention
Declared
- Mark Ash, attorney and candidate for chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas in 2020[67]
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.[68]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[69] | Leans R | November 3, 2022 |
| Elections Daily[70] | Likely R | November 1, 2022 |
Polling
Graphical summary
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Ken Paxton (R) |
Rochelle Garza (D) |
Mark Ash (L) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CWS Research (R)[71][A] | November 2–5, 2022 | 786 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 44% | 38% | 5% | – | 12% |
| UT Tyler[72] | October 17–24, 2022 | 1,330 (RV) | ± 2.9% | 39% | 35% | 5% | 4%[b] | 18% |
| 973 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 42% | 38% | 4% | 3%[c] | 12% | ||
| Emerson College[73] | October 17–19, 2022 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 47% | 42% | 4% | – | 8% |
| Siena College[74] | October 16–19, 2022 | 649 (LV) | ± 5.1% | 48% | 42% | – | 2%[d] | 8% |
| ActiVote[75] | June 23 – September 21, 2022 | 209 (LV) | ± 7.0% | 45% | 43% | 12% | – | – |
| Siena College[76] | September 14–18, 2022 | 651 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 47% | 42% | – | – | 11% |
| Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation[77] | September 6–15, 2022 | 1,172 (LV) | ± 2.9% | 47% | 42% | 3% | – | 8% |
| UT Tyler[78] | September 7–13, 2022 | 1,243 (RV) | ± 2.9% | 37% | 30% | 6% | 6%[e] | 20% |
| YouGov/UT[79] | August 26 – September 6, 2022 | 1,200 (RV) | ± 2.8% | 38% | 33% | 4% | 5%[f] | 21% |
| YouGov/UH/TSU[80] | August 11–29, 2022 | 1,312 (LV) | ± 2.7% | 45% | 42% | 3% | – | 10% |
| UT Tyler[81] | August 1–7, 2022 | 1,384 (RV) | ± 2.8% | 34% | 32% | 8% | 7% | 18% |
| 1,199 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 36% | 34% | 8% | 6% | 16% | ||
| YouGov/UH[82] | June 27 – July 7, 2022 | 1,169 (RV) | ± 2.9% | 43% | 40% | 5% | – | 12% |
| 1,006 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 46% | 41% | 4% | – | 9% | ||
| YouGov/UT[83] | June 16–24, 2022 | 1,200 (RV) | ± 2.8% | 37% | 29% | 5% | 5% | 24% |
| YouGov/TXHPF[39] | March 18–28, 2022 | 1,139 (LV) | ± 2.6% | 48% | 42% | 3% | – | 7% |
Hypothetical polling
George P. Bush vs. Rochelle Garza
George P. Bush vs. Joe Jaworski
Ken Paxton vs. Joe Jaworski
Ken Paxton vs. Justin Nelson
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Ken Paxton (R) |
Justin Nelson (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data for Progress (D)[84][B] | September 15–22, 2020 | 726 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 41% | 37% | 22% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Paxton (incumbent) | 4,278,986 | 53.42% | +2.85% | |
| Democratic | Rochelle Garza | 3,497,267 | 43.66% | −3.35% | |
| Libertarian | Mark Ash | 233,750 | 2.92% | +0.49% | |
| Total votes | 8,010,003 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
By congressional district
Paxton won 25 of 38 congressional districts.[85]
Notes
Partisan clients