Mayes Middleton — Republican nominee for Texas Attorney General

Mayes Middleton (Republican) is a Texas state senator from Galveston (District 11) and the Republican nominee for Attorney General in the November 3, 2026 general election. He won the May 26 runoff over U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, with about 55% of the vote (KERA). This page is informational only and does not endorse any candidate.

Background

Middleton is president of Middleton Oil Company and operates ranching and farming interests. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (Ballotpedia).

Legislative record

He served in the Texas House (District 23) from 2019 to 2023 and in the Senate since January 2023 (Texas Senate). The Texas Tribune’s February profile describes a record built on conservative legislation rather than courtroom experience, and notes that he repeatedly refiled bills that failed in earlier sessions (Texas Tribune). His campaign cites legislation on women’s sports and on restricting local-government lobbying with public money. For bills he authored and how he voted, see the Legislature’s authored-bills report and the Senate journals; this page does not summarize bills whose numbers and outcomes have not been checked against those records.

Stated priorities

Per the Texas Tribune: enforcing federal border-security policy, upholding Texas abortion laws, protecting oil and gas jobs, blocking “foreign adversaries” from buying Texas property, and prosecuting violations of state law including election crimes. The Tribune notes that Texas courts have said election-crime prosecutions belong to local prosecutors.

Campaign finance (reported through June 30, 2026)

About $911,000 cash on hand; he has put more than $17 million of his own money into the race since 2025. Other large donors include Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Buc-ee’s owner Don Wasek and Energy Transfer’s Kelcy Warren (Texas Tribune).

Why this race matters in Killeen and Bell County

The Attorney General represents the State of Texas in civil litigation, enforces consumer-protection law, issues legal opinions, and runs child-support collection. Most criminal prosecution is handled by local district attorneys, and Texas courts have limited the AG’s power to prosecute on its own. Killeen has seen the office’s reach firsthand: the AG sued Killeen and four other cities over local marijuana-decriminalization ordinances (Killeen Daily Herald timeline). Fort Cavazos adds a third layer: conduct on the installation can fall under federal or military jurisdiction rather than state law.

Sources and further reading

Candidate-finance figures are as reported through June 30, 2026 and will change with later filings. Check the Texas Ethics Commission for current reports.